Kingdom Hearts: Lineage of the Key
by MindReader13
Summary: Gentai, a boy wielding the mysterious Keyblade, bands together with Kairi and Riku when a new menace invades the worlds. Together they seek the answer to free Sora from death and stop this new enemy...or perhaps once an old ally. Pairings: SoraXKairi.
1. Prologue: Those Who Wield

**DISCLAIMER: I own nothing to do with this story save for plot lines or OCs and this holds for all of it, so don't ask me again.**

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Kingdom Hearts

Lineage of the Key

_Book I of __**The Existence Trilogy**_

_From the Darkness they shall arise_

_To give birth from earth to sea_

_And within our hearts there is light_

_To create a lineage of the key_

Prologue

Those Who Wield…

_The world was collapsing around him. Or at least he thought it was. He had only been a young boy, crawling out into the world and his new role. Gentai Tanaka, the boy who had loved school, who had loved his friends, his family, and had it all torn away from him in life to wield a mysterious something, was now staring at the fourth man who died that day. If you could say that disappearing into nothing was dying._

_Gentai had been a young boy, living his own streets on the world of Agradar until a man known as Hikaru came and took him away telling all the stories about his new and mythical weapon: the Keyblade. All of them had told him he was the Key of the Future, whatever that meant. He hadn't asked for this. But he found great friendship in all his suffering; Hikaru, though not wielder of the Keyblade himself, trained Gentai to be strong no matter what came. _

_And Gentai had to be strong, if not for someone else, then for himself. _

_Hikaru had told him that the Keyholes were still in danger and that's why Gentai had to go and clean up the mess. And Gentai performed that duty with aplomb. But every time he sealed a Keyhole he would see visions: visions of people he had never known but had heard about. Sora, Riku, Kairi, and King Mickey. Those were their names. The memories had scared him at first, but he eventually began drawing upon those memories for some type of inner strength. He had traveled to many worlds and found that Zexion, a member of the former Organization XIII had somehow survived or came back to life and was seeking revenge on the one who stole it all from him: Riku._

_Gentai couldn't understand any of it, until he met both Riku and Kairi who were searching for Sora who had been kidnapped. Then it happened: Hikaru, was Kairi's brother, and son of Ansem the Wise. Kairi couldn't believe it, no one could; even when they confronted Zexion and freed Sora. But Gentai's strength was beginning to wane. He had fought and killed his best friend who betrayed him; saw his mentor die before his eyes despite the fact that he learned he now wielded a Keyblade after all._

_Then when all was dwindling for Zexion, the Cloaked Schemer decided to kill Riku, but Sora's selflessness stopped the blow and hit him instead. Gentai, all sense forgotten in his rage, attacked Zexion. It didn't kill him but somehow Gentai had given him a heart. Unable to cope with the emotion it destroyed Zexion forever._

_But Sora was dying. His breathing was shallow and harsh. Riku was on one knee, looking at him and Kairi was fiercely holding his hand. Gentai looked at the trio, together for so long, only to be split apart. _If only I had been fast enough,_ Gentai thought and he stabbed his Keyblade into the ground. He was only fifteen but he still understood loss. They…didn't deserve it. They had been through so much and yet they were only 21._

"_Sora…" Riku said to him as Sora was gasping, coughing up lots of blood. "Why did you…?"_

"_I can't…have you dying on me buddy…" Sora said, trying to give a small chuckle but Gentai could tell it only hurt him more because he choked and stopped. Gentai could also tell that the two of Sora's best friends (one of them his lover) were crying. Despite Riku looking hard as a rock, seeing his best friend die was a blow to his heart._

"_But now you're gonna die on us…" Riku said and Sora didn't answer, unable to respond to that. Gentai picked up his Keyblade and walked over to the trio and he could soon feel the tears pouring down his eyes. He had only known Sora personally for about an hour but he felt the pain all of them were feeling. _And it's my fault!_ Gentai wanted to kick at something but soon he heard his name._

"_Gentai…" Sora breathed and Gentai bent down low next to him. Sora took his free hand and grasped Gentai. "Don't…blame…yourself…" Gentai shook his head as tears fell down his face. "You…are…the one." Sora let these last two words escape in a quick breath. His eyelids fluttered open and close as he tried to focus on Gentai. He then seemed to summon most of his energy to simply tell Gentai what he said next without a break in breaths. "You are the key of the future. You will open the door…Don't let it end this way…" But Sora trailed off and his eyes flickered again._

_Gentai looked at him and felt his hand tighten on the grip of his Keyblade. First Hikaru and then Sora. Sora turned his gaze slowly to Kairi who was crying the most out of the three of them._

"_Don't go Sora!" Kairi cried. "You can't leave yet, not now!"_

"_Our hearts…are always…connected…" He took a little more of his strength to lift Kairi's hands over his heart. Kairi cried even harder. Sora looked into her eyes and mustered up his final courage to tell her the words she already knew but needed to be said again. "Kairi…I…lov-"_

_But his words were cut off as the final amount of energy faded from his body and his once blue eyes turned to black. Kairi laid over his body and cried for a little before Riku lifted her up and moved Sora's body next to Hikaru's. He nodded to Gentai who used his Keyblade to light magical flames around the two former Keyblade weilders as Kairi cried into Riku's shoulders. Then it began to rain as the worlds cried. Their beloved Keyblade Master was gone. And Gentai, who had always felt a burden somehow, could perceive everyone's reactions._

_In Radiant Garden, Leon felt the subtle change in the air as the clouds moved in and began to wash over the planet. Even Aerith, and Yuffie felt the change. Mickey sensed it too but neither he, Donald, or Goofy could believe it. Even Maleficent, Sora's long time enemy felt burdened by the loss._

_And as the rain fell upon them washing away everything, Riku looked at Gentai._

"_It wasn't your fault Gentai, it was only Zexion's." But Gentai said nothing, only staring at the burning bodies._

"_I won't let it end this way…" Gentai said. He looked to the crying sky as thunder began to roll across the worlds. Then Gentai let out an ear-splitting scream of rage and anger that echoed all over. To a man with a Gunblade in radiant Garden, to a mouse with his companions on a Gummi Ship, to an evil sorceress, to the denizens of many worlds. And to a man, clad in armor on a ship in the sky who knew: after seventeen years of waiting in darkness, the time had come._

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Author's Note: So there is the beginning of The Existence Trilogy. There was a story planned before this one but I wrote this first instead because my heart wasn't into it and soon I'll be writing that too. Gentai is my own OC who I decided would have originally given Sora, Riku, and Kairi a break, but I guess not huh? Yeah, Sora died, but don't worry, if you seen my next stories then you'll knw that I'm not so cruel as to kill off the hero forever. But in either case, the future will hold some awesome and nasty surprises and for people who have been keeping up with KH news you might know who the character I mentioned at the end was. Well, hope you enjoy and please review even though the story is finished.


	2. Chapter 1: A Ship in the Sky

**DISCLAIMER: I own nothing to do with this story save for plot lines or OCs and this holds for all of it, so don't ask me again.**

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Chapter 1

A Ship in the Sky

Space. Once a warm haven for those who embraced the power of light that even in its inky blackness one would know that warmth could never be far behind. Whether it be on the world that one called home or simply because all hearts were connected, you could always find a friend somewhere, even if they didn't know your name.

But the warmth was gone from space now. It was silent. After Organization XIII had been stopped, people began to find ways to pass through the worlds and a universe-wide commerce started. But now it was empty. No ships flew between worlds. Space was cold. Space was silent. Space was empty. Save for one. A great white ship floated through space. It was made of Gummi Blocks but seemed older than any Gummi Ship that had appeared in the last ten years. Its design was also different from any ship built in the past ten years.

Its hull was long, as though it was housing an army within its base. It was large and expansive, but at the top there was a bridge, surrounded by a partition thin glass that protected those there from the crushing build of space. A man in armor was standing on the bridge, staring out of the glass into the cold depths of space. Not that he could see through his helmet but he could _feel_ the crushing blackness of space and that was all that mattered. The man wore armor brazened in gold, running down his whole length. A shining cape fluttered behind him. But it shouldn't have fooled anyone. He was no knight in shining armor…no, if he had ever hoped for that it was a long time ago, but now it was a memory long past…a memory fading day by day in the crushing darkness of space.

His helmet covered his full face. The back, and the front, including his eyes so that he couldn't see a thing out of it. But his senses were tuned enough to the surroundings that he needed no sight. From the top of his helmet were two spikes protruding. He just stood there silently as men on the bridge were working, all of them carrying a form of Key near them. The man heard the door to the bridge hiss open behind him, his ears sensitive for the sound. He made no movement other than a jerk of the head in the man's direction. The man, though not wearing armor, bowed low, indicating his deep respect for the man, his blonde hair shimmering slightly as he did so. As he lifted up, you could see a crest emblazoned on his belt. It had a symbol of a heart and some wings before falling to a tip at the end, ironically being very similar to an inverted symbol of the late Organization XIII. The man did not wait for the armored one to acknowledge him before he began to speak.

"My lord, the time to begin is now." he said. For a moment there was no answer. The bridge itself silent as space itself as they waited for his comment on the current situation. When the man spoke, his back still facing the glass partition from the space, there emerged a rough voice, older and tougher than it had been seventeen years ago.

"I know. I felt the air change…suddenly." the man said. He said no more, he rarely did, and so the other man decided to continue on.

"The worlds are feeling the effects. I would only presume that he is gone. That they are vulnerable now. There would never be a better time."

"And the others, are we sure they are with them?" the man in armor asked though he knew what the truth was due to his highly sensitive nature, but the other man fidgeted.

"You must understand…we…" he stammered out, fearful of incurring his lord's wrath.

"I expect answers, not excuses." the man said with a calmness that carried with it a depth of finality. The man fell silent out of fear. "I did not spend my time on a beach, or in a desert, or on a ship in cold, hard space to allow such trivialities to escape your notice!"

"But…" The man tapered off before he got the courage to ask his next question. "My lord, meaning no disrespect but are you sure they are vulnerable while he is gone?" the man asked him uncertainly. Now the man in armor did turn around to face him.

"Vulnerability is in the eye of the beholder. I am sure I may seem vulnerable now. But I assure you," he grasped the man by the throat, his armored gloves crushing the neck. "I am not vulnerable in the least." He let the man go. The man who had just been bruised rubbed his throat as the darkness that had suddenly entered the room vanished.

"I meant no offense Lord Ter-" the man began to say but suddenly, a darkness even stronger than before entered the room, generating from the armored man.

"WHAT did you say?!" the man in armor screamed and everything on the ship fell silent, and it seemed at that even the engines had done so. The man backed away in horror as he realized the words that had come out of his mouth. "I gave a simple instruction to NEVER call me that!" The man profusely apologized but the rage was awakened within the armored man and in a dazzling display of light and translucent blocks, a Keyblade appeared. The spikes that protruded from the Keyblade were enormous but no Keychain hung from it. But those tiny small details didn't matter for within a moment the other man fell to the floor dead, his head rolling across the bridge. The Keyblade disappeared but no one on the bridge relaxed.

The man in armor turned again to the glass as other men picked up the man's body and remaining limb and dragged him off.

"He is gone. We begin now. I will no longer tolerate failure. Pilot, set a course for Radiant Garden immediately. Update me if anything unfortunate should happen." With these last words the armored man pushed past all others and walked through the door, it hissing open as he went. He walked silently through the hallways of the ship but with authority, other members of the crew saluting him as he went. It wasn't long before he reached his destination. The door slid open and he entered the room. It was bare with white floors and a small white bed in the corner but a computer screen was on the wall. As he entered he began to stride forward to his bed but his knee gave out suddenly and unexpectedly and he fell onto it. He didn't scream or gasp in pain but rather picked himself up. He sat himself on his bed and stared ahead at the computer screen, not seeing it at all.

He leaned back against the wall, not bothering to take off his helmet or armor. But still, even with his senses on high alert, he fell to sleep.

_It stretched before him. The desert, vast and empty. Oh he had wanted to reach there. He walked forward, and saw a massive number of Keyblades in the ground, all of them belonging to fallen Keyblade masters. Two figures approached the edge with him and soon they were standing before three Keyblades with Keychains, an uncommon trait of the time. But in the distance there was a man coming. A man who reeked of the darkness, despite the fact he had proclaimed his hatred of it. He pushed back one of the other knights and ran at the man who separated him with a mighty rise of the earth._

_The battle had begun then. He had fought, almost getting killed by a barrage of Keyblades, battling the man's apprentice, but there was nothing he could do against the force of such hate but give into hate itself. And when the man froze one of the other knights, the rage was awakened inside him as he tore off his helmet and his eyes turned yellow forgetting their friends, their love, their sight-_

"NO!" the man in armor yelled in his room as he woke up from the dream. His tone frightened the younger man standing at the entrance to his door.

"My Lord, we are approaching Radiant Garden." the man said.

"Very well, inform the pilot that I'll be on the bridge soon." The man bowed and left. The armored man looked at his gloved hands and stared straight ahead, seeing nothing but the hatred dancing inside of him. As he walked away to the bridge he could only think about what he would do now...now that his past had perhaps come back to haunt him. Those things didn't matter...only the singular thought now taking over most of his mind: today was a day for revenge. Today was a day for retribution. Today was a day…for rage.

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Author's Note: Yay! The first chapter modified!!! In case you haven't noticed who the knight is, I won't bring it up. But it can only get more serious from here on out. What's the knight planning? And what are Gentai, Kairi, and Riku going to do now? Well, I'll answer those later, and I hope you enjoyed. Please review and enjoy the story as I update it.


	3. Chapter 2: Closer Than You Think

**DISCLAIMER: I own nothing to do with this story save for plot lines or OCs and this holds for all of it, so don't ask me again.**

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Chapter 2

Closer Than You Think

There was no casket to bring back the Keyblade Master. No urn, no vase. Just the words and hearts of his friends, who were scattered across the many worlds of the galaxy. When they had taken off for the confines of space Riku took Sora's ashes and scattered them into the air (assuming that space could be considered to _have_ air) saying "Sora can be with ALL his friends now…" Gentai had just nodded and went to sit in the back of the Gummi Ship with a blanket dragged around him and the memory of his promise to Hikaru that he would not fail again, while Riku and Kairi flew the ship back to Destiny Islands. Never had he known space to be so cold through all his travels. He felt as though he wanted to cry harder than he ever had but somehow he lacked the ability to do so. As he sat in the cold, and now empty, space of the Gummi Ship he felt a presence come up and sit down next to him. He looked over and saw Kairi.

The twenty one year old girl had changed from the memories he had seen of her. Her hair was still long, at least longer than what he had seen from the fourteen year old side of said memories. But she didn't wear as…uh…revealing clothing as she had before. She was actually looking rather modest now, what with her short sleeved t-shirt and yet flowing pants so that she could move around in them.. Gentai himself was wearing white clothing said to "reflect his innocent nature" as stated by Yen Sid. But could Gentai still hold that fact about him? He had killed his best friend but hours ago. No, his _former _best friend, but still, Gentai had killed him. His very short brown hair rested on top of his head and he felt, more than heard, Kairi sigh as she sat down.

"Does it hurt?" Kairi asked him abruptly, and with no small amount of sadness in her voice. Gentai turned to her.

"Does what hurt?" Gentai asked, the tone in his voice clearly letting out whatever feelings he had. What was there? Confusion? Anger? Determination?

"I mean, he was your mentor wasn't he." Gentai leaned back against the wall, thinking about Hikaru.

"He-he was more than a mentor to me…he was a friend, a true friend, one of the only ones I've ever had." Gentai said in a matter-of-fact tone. "When I first had the Keyblade, I could barely fend myself from Shadows. Then Hikaru came and he brought me to the different worlds. I met so many people, made so many friends but Hikaru, even when we were separated in Radiant Garden, he held faith that I'd get through it. He taught me to trust in the strength of my heart and never to let it fail…I never knew that he…" Gentai choked up a bit and Kairi just hugged him and held him close. Gentai could feel her heart beating and sense the sadness blossoming deep inside it.

"It's okay. We all understand." She couldn't stroke his hair because it wasn't long enough but Gentai was too frozen in sadness to move for a while. Eventually Kairi moved from him. They sat there in silence for a little bit.

"But I have to be strong. Hikaru would want that. I can't let my heart grow weak." Gentai said with conviction and Kairi giggled a little. He reminded her of Sora…kind of. Gentai looked at her. "What about you? Are you okay?" Kairi stared at her feet on the floor.

"I-I lost him once before but now…this is forever. I've lost him forever! I didn't want to lose him!" Cries and sobs began racking her body and she started shaking uncontrollably. "I-" She hiccupped. "I wanted to be with him forever!" She kept crying out a river of tears and now it was Gentai's turn to hug Kairi.

"It'll be all right. We have to be strong, right? Sora would want that. Both of them would want that or their sacrifices would be in vain." Gentai said in a kind voice to her. She stopped crying for a moment and looked at Gentai and smiled a little.

"You're sweet Gentai. Sora…would be proud." She ruffled his short hair a little bit as the door that led to the cockpit where Riku was slid open and Riku stepped in.

"We're almost at Destiny Islands." Riku said to them. All they did was nod in response and returned to the cockpit as the Gummi Ship began its descent towards the island.

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If one could imagine a funeral then the return to Destiny Islands was like a funeral in and of itself. The actual funeral itself, which would take place later that day, was going to be more of a heartbreaking event than anything even their arrival could muster. But Gentai would never forget the look on the islanders faces as the three of them entered. He never understood how they all knew to gather there, but he figured that it must have been because Sora had such a profound impact that _everybody _could feel his death. Kairi, herself, still had the tears streaming down her eyes but Riku had to look stoic for the two of them and so he did. But Gentai noticed that most of the eyes were on him. He certainly hoped they wouldn't believe he had done anything to kill Sora, but he felt as if he were the one to blame. He heard whispers in the crowd, only three of them becoming audible to him.

"Is Sora really gone…?" he heard a high pitched girl's voice ask.

"It looks like it, mon." said a guy's voice, heavy with defeat, and Gentai felt his heart seize up.

"And Kairi looks so sad." said another guy, a little younger and without the accent. Gentai just walked past them and followed Kairi and Riku. He spent the majority of the morning in Riku's house, and fell asleep the instant he laid his head down. And as he did so, he saw…something. A memory, rather. Something Hikaru had told him.

_He and Hikaru had been standing together after Zexion had revealed himself in Radiant Garden, after the battle. Gentai had been staring at his feet._

"_Is all of this my fault? Because I'm a Keyblade Master?!" Gentai screamed._

"_Nothing is your fault Gentai. You have no control over-" Hikaru tried to assuage him, but Gentai cut across his mentor's words._

"_I know that! I have no control! I can't even control these memories I see anytime I seal a Keyhole. It's like…" Gentai sighed with exhaustion. "Hikaru, what am I?" Hikaru knelt down and held onto Gentai's shoulders._

"_You're a Keyblade wielder and the Key of the Future. And as long as you believe in your heart you'll be nothing less. Even when I'm not here to tell you that. Just believe it and it will be true." Hikaru said, spoken like a true friend would speak._

"_Yeah…but when are you not going to be here?" Gentai said with a bit of a chuckle, making the old joke between friends that Hikaru was ancient._

"_When my part is over." And he walked away from Gentai._

He couldn't understand what it meant back then. But he did now. When the dream ended, Gentai's eyes opened and he saw a crack of sun streaming in through Riku's windows. Gentai got up and stretched a bit before he decided he was going to walk around the island before the funeral. He walked silently out of the house into the cool and crisp air of the Destiny Islands' morning breeze. He had been here once before, but it had only been to find the Keyhole and that was a very short trip. Other than that he had no time here whatsoever before he had flown off with Hikaru again to his first deadly rendezvous with Zexion on Radiant Garden, the time when he had revealed himself.

For a moment he stood there, outside Riku's house, and let the breeze wash around him. The funeral would be held around three so he had time as it was only noon. Then Gentai felt a sudden urge. Sora's house lay across the street from Riku's; empty and cold, silent and staring at Gentai's heart. His eyes scanned along and he saw Kairi's house next to Sora's. Gentai chuckled to himself as he remembered his first visit here and how Hikaru had split off to search the home of the Keyblade wielders, ironic they were all right next to each other. But as he chuckled a tear trailed down his face and he stopped thinking about it. He stopped thinking about Hikaru and about Sora, because it brought too much pain. He strode over to Sora's house and touched lightly on the door, which already had green paint peeling from it…just like its owner's fate. When Gentai pushed the door it had opened easily as though it were unlocked.

He stepped in the house and looked around at all the things that had marked its owner's presence. He looked at the walls and the pictures that were there. There was one of Sora, Riku and Kairi when they were younger, probably around six or seven. Gentai smiled to himself but there was more to look at and so he moved on. There was a raft in another picture and an older looking trio standing beside it. Kairi was trying to splash water on Sora to get him back for a small prank he just pulled. Riku was just shaking his head. Yet another picture showed their reunion six years ago. Sora was standing at the front while the two creatures who he presumed to be Donald and Goofy, from what he remembered of his memories, were tugging at his hair. Kairi was almost joining them, or it seemed that way, but it seemed she had only prevailed in holding Sora's hand. Riku was laughing in the background and Mickey was jumping in the air, the only one to present his Keyblade in the picture. There were more pictures on the wall but they all seemed to be of Sora spending time with Kairi, and an occasional picture with Riku, showing what was most important in his heart.

Gentai passed through the first floor and walked upstairs to Sora's room. He looked around the unfamiliar place and thought that Sora's room kind of looked like his own in a weird way. Well, at least the bedroom he used to have on Agradar. But there was something on Sora's dresser that caught his eye. It was a white box, standing out against the mahogany furniture. Gentai walked over to it and looked at it curiously. It was clearly bought recently, and from what Gentai could perceive, granted his memories of Sora and the general aura he could now detect from objects due to his growing power as a Keyblade master, was from maybe a day or two before Sora had been kidnapped by Zexion. Gentai placed a hand on the box and looked all around it. There was a tag on the box and Gentai could see that Sora had been planning to give it to Kairi. He wondered what it was, and partially he felt it would be best not to intrude on Sora's privacy, but curiosity got the better of him. He opened the small white box and inside…was a ring, gold with a crown emblazoned on it. Gentai snapped the box shut.

He had intended to marry her! Gentai almost choked at the thought of it but then he realized they were much older than he was. Still, Sora had cared for Kairi that much. He deliberated on that sort of thought for a minute or two, before slipping the white box into one of his pockets. Sora had clearly wanted to keep this a surprise and Gentai felt he could at least honor the Keyblade master in that way, making sure that Kairi didn't know. After a few more minutes of looking around the house he decided it was best that he leave. He left silently, closing the door behind him. He started to walk back over to Riku's house when suddenly there was a scream and he felt something collide straight into him. Gentai rubbed his head as he got up and found that a girl had fallen on top of him, the bike she had been riding having skidded over to the side. The girl moaned and saw quickly that she was on top of Gentai and quickly jumped off, completely mortified.

"I-I'm so sorry. So, so sorry." she squealed out. Gentai got up and looked at her. She seemed to be about his age with brown hair like his own and deep green eyes. The brown hair was a little long however and the girl seemed to have compensated for that by wearing it in a ponytail. She stammered over her words a bit and as Gentai looked at her he only thought to himself, _Hey, she's kinda cute._ But he shook himself from such a thought. He couldn't form relationships, not right now, not after what he'd lost.

"Hey, it's okay." Gentai said kindly, cutting across her. The girl stopped yammering on for a moment and just looked at Gentai like she knew him from somewhere.

"A-are you the kid who came with Riku and Kairi yesterday? Did you know Sora?" the girl asked these questions rather fast and Gentai was a little stunned to answer them. But his brain managed to sort it all out.

"Y-yeah, I am, and…I did, for my part anyway." He responded to the girl. But he himself had his own questions to ask her. "How do you know Riku and Kairi?"

"Who doesn't know them on this island?!" the girl said, in shock at the question Gentai had just asked, as if it was the craziest thing in all the worlds.

"I'm sorry, geez, I'm not from around here." Gentai said throwing his hands up defensively. The girl giggled and Gentai thought it was kind of cute. But he was also struggling with the fact that he found this girl cute! He had never thought any of the girls on any other worlds were cute! So why this particular girl? He just brushed it off and extended his hand forward. "Gentai." The girl took his hand with a smile and looked into Gentai's eyes. Gentai felt his heart flutter.

"Demora. Orphan and delivery girl from Destiny Islands Express." the girl, named Demora, said plainly to Gentai.

"Orphan?! So you mean, you have no parents…" Gentai said, and a shot of sadness struck him though he barely knew this girl and knew nothing of her parents.

"Y-yeah, I've been through hard times, but I'll make it." They stood there, their hands in contact with each other for a while until Demora released the contact and Gentai suddenly felt something missing. "Well, gotta go, have lots of papers to deliver. Maybe I'll see you at the funeral on the island!" With that she rode off. Gentai shook himself out of his stupor and his reverie before he walked back to Riku's house for the last few hours of the morning. At noon they were on the island that they had first arrived at in the early hours of the morning. All of the residents of Destiny Islands were there, a small stage and a podium at the front of all the people. The three chairs behind the podium held Riku, Kairi and, of course, Gentai as they sat there.

The wind whistled around the island as many people from the crowd gave their eulogies about Sora. Many members of the audience cried as they went through the large number of people, about fifty or so, but Gentai was surprised at how well Kairi was taking it through the whole thing. Then it was Riku's turn to say something and the whole entire crowd grew silent as he stood up and walked over to the podium, dressed in his Organization XIII robe simply because he had no other black outfits for a funeral. He stood at the podium for a moment, letting the wind whistle around him as he stared out over the crowd, not really seeing them.

"Sora was a great man. Everybody here could say that about him. He was loving, kind, and always willing to help. He had no selfishness in his heart and sought only to help others. Maybe…that's why he had so many friends across the worlds. But Sora was more than just a man; he was the Keyblade Master, charged with the task of defending the worlds from great evil. And not once did he shirk from that task. That is the reason why we are able to even stand here today and honor his memory. I'm not going to talk about how he died, only to say that, Sora was one of the bravest men I ever knew, and if you ever want to find someone who was brave, look no further than him. Thank you." And Riku left the podium after his short message and sat down next to Gentai. "Are you going to say anything?"

"It's not my place." Gentai said while shaking his head. "You know you could've told them it was my fault." Now it was Riku's turn to shake his head and refute the young boy's statement.

"It wasn't…and besides…for me the grief is still too close." But he stopped talking as Kairi herself got up and walked to podium clad in black and everything. She also stood there and the island seemed even more deathly quiet, not even the wind seemed to blow out of reverence.

"Today we gather…to recognize a truly terrible loss…of a great, great friend." Kairi stopped here and allowed her breath and her words to catch up with her. "Sora was, as you all know, an extremely lazy bum, a kind hearted individual and a fierce, fierce friend. But you all know that." Kairi was still stoic in the daunting pressure of all this. "Therefore, as his friend, I think you all have the right to know exactly how he died. You see, Sora was killed defending Riku from an attack by Organization XIII. This just shows his selflessness and to say he died any other way would be insult his memory! The pain we are all feeling at the loss of Sora, reminds me…and all of us, that though we may come and go and never see each other again, our hearts are connected. That's why wherever we go; we're always with each other. In light of these events, the strength of our hearts is more important than ever. Please remember that…and Sora will not have died in vain. Remember that! And we can celebrate, and mourn, a boy who was strong, brave, selfless, and true. And he'll always remain in our hearts, closer than we think…maybe closer than I think…and we'll never forget him again. Just like I'll never forget him…because I love him…" And Kairi stepped down, tears now leaking from her eyes, from the podium itself. But as Kairi stepped own, Gentai, and nobody else, felt the wind change. He had a bad feeling seep into his stomach, a bad feeling he only got when something bad was going to happen. And he didn't ignore it but instead wandered away to be alone with his thoughts and his feeling while Kairi and Riku shook the hands of all who had come to the funeral.

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Author's Note: So there's the funeral scene, loosely based off Cedric Diggory's funeral scene in the movie version of _**Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire**_** but soon we'll get to the real conflict next chapter so if you're hooked, hold on till then, since we will be seeing a lot more of Riku and Kairi in the future. I did make some changes here to reflect some things in **_**Fear of the **_**Darkness and later the prequel of **_**Illusion's **_**please review, I'll answer all personally but not in the story.**


	4. Chapter 3: Welcome, Oblivion

**DISCLAIMER: I own nothing to do with this story save for plot lines or OCs and this holds for all of it, so don't ask me again.**

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Chapter 3

Welcome, Oblivion

Gentai wandered off to the Cove area of Destiny Islands. He had been here before while he was looking for the Keyhole but that was exploration and this was different. This time he had a sense of emptiness. He soon found himself climbing up a tower in order to overlook the ocean and hear the sound of the waves. He felt the breeze stir around him and lift him up slightly. He couldn't get over the bad feeling he had in his stomach at the moment. What was going to happen? He remembered that typically every time he had a feeling such as that, no matter the case, something happened. When the Nobodies attacked him at Twilight Town, when Zexion first showed up, and when he met his old friend Tom who had betrayed him. So what was it this time? He shook his head as he began to get a headache from thinking too hard until he felt a presence sidle next to him.

He opened his eyes and looked to the right of him. There he saw Demora sitting there herself in a plain black dress that he thought she looked beautiful in. Had she followed him here? She sat there next to him, a wry smile on her face. She twiddled with her black dress and sighed. He just looked at her and said nothing. After a few minutes of silence however, she turned to him.

"I told you I'd see you here!" she said, almost cheerfully and Gentai let a small chuckle escape his lips despite the sadness crushing him on the inside. She seemed to notice difference in action and feeling and so asked, "You okay?"

"Yeah…I just…don't know exactly what to do…I mean, I knew Riku and Kairi, kind of, but Sora I barely knew before he-" Gentai cut himself off and shook his head. "It doesn't really matter. You think what you do has purpose but…I don't know…" Demora looked at him, her brown hair flowing behind her in the wind as she had let it down for the funeral. "Who knows? Maybe one day, what I've done will have purpose. But right now…it doesn't even look like there's hope." Silence passed between them for many minutes after that statement but even as the sun began to sink neither of them spoke or moved. Then, as nightfall was imminent, Demora got up and brushed off her dress. She turned to go but quickly faced Gentai.

"That reminds me, Riku and Kairi said you can stay in Riku's house tonight but you guys are leaving in the morning for Radiant Garden." He simply nodded and she walked off, leaving Gentai to stare at the ominous dark clouds in the night, rolling onto the islands and all the worlds.

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There was a small burst of light as the large ship of white Gummi blocks entered the Radiant Garden airspace. The armored man was still staring out the glass partition but this time he knew that something was there: a world. He cracked a smile underneath his helmet though no one could tell. Soon he heard footsteps behind him.

"My Lord, we have arrived at Radiant Garden airspace. Shall I deploy the fleet my Lord?" the man asked, inquiring at his battle plans for this world. The man, dressed in a red shirt and a blue colored skirt-like-thing waited for the answer but the armored man was silent for a moment.

"No…do not deploy the fleet. We do not need something so excessive to silence these people, nor to draw the people we need here." he told the man and the man nodded. But he remained stationed there, still expecting orders from his lord and master. "Lock the main artillery cannon on Villain's Vale. Let's show them an example." The man turned to face his crew, flicking his cape around as those on the bridge scurried around, preparing for the first stage in their deadly operation.

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Down below in Radiant Garden, things were as peaceful as ever. The Restoration Committee had done a wonderful job of restoring the world, with thanks, of course, to Sora's efforts in the past. They of course knew that peace was still a long way off, but at least it was closer than it had seemed six years ago. The group still congregated in Merlin's house in the Borough to do all of their work, but everybody was currently in different places, doing things. Leon was off checking on Ansem's Study; Merlin was currently checking on things, patrolling the corridors with Tifa and Cloud (who had at last returned after defeating Sephiroth from inside of him) within the castle proper. Aerith was paying a visit to the town to "stimulate the economy" and get the committee some supplies. But Yuffie was stuck with Cid at Merlin's house, bored out of her mind at being stuck with him and in this stuffy old house. Cid was working on upgrading the claymores so that they could work optimally in all places throughout.

Or at least, that was what he _was_ working on, until a small, simple reading came up on the computer screen. At first Cid ignored it to finish up his job but soon noticed something odd about it. He stopped working on the claymores and soon just looked at the reading.

"What the-" Cid blurted out, almost unable to contain himself. Yuffie's eyes snapped open, hungry for excitement, and she skipped over to Cid.

"What is it?" Yuffie asked him, wondering what could cause Cid's voice to sound so flustered.

"Gummi Ship reading, but its blocks are radiating waves the types of which I've never seen…or at least, don't remember seeing." Cid said as he put in a few keystrokes in on the computer. A small scale reading, and a radar appeared on the screen. "Well, it must be one big ship too; carrying heavy fire as well, to be sitting in airspace like that for a while."

"But why won't it land?" Yuffie asked Cid and he shrugged his shoulders indicating that he had no idea as to why this anomaly was occurring. Yuffie rolled her eyes, here she was thinking there was going to be some kind of excitement. But apparently Cid was excited.

"No idea. Yuffie, this may be more than just a passing Gummi Ship. Could you go get Leon for me?" Cid said and Yuffie just made a small mock salute and ran off to go get Leon. Cid turned back to the computer and started doing more work, trying to find out more about this ship. His fingers flew expertly across the keyboard until he was finally able to pull an actual look and layout of the ship up on the screen. When he finally saw what it looked like and its design he gasped just as Leon walked into the room.

"What's going on Cid?" Leon asked him as Yuffie followed him in, closing the door. Cid swiveled around quickly to face Leon. "Yuffie said there was a ship, but not much more."

"Yeah, it ain't just any ship!" Cid beckoned Leon over to the computer and Leon took a look at the screen, scrutinizing the ship there. He didn't see anything about it.

"What about it?" Leon said with a shrug and a look to Cid.

"That is a Class AWRG Gummi Ship!" Cid yelled out but both Leon and Yuffie gave him a befuddled look. Cid buried his face in his hands and sighed. "All right, a Gummi Ship model of that type hasn't been seen for almost sixteen years now!"

"If it was sixteen years, that would make you the only one old enough to remember it here Cid!" Yuffie perked up. "Because, we were all kids sixteen years ago, might I remind you?"

"That doesn't matter!" Cid said heatedly and Yuffie stepped back a bit, surprised at Cid's brusqueness. "All right, look here. Seventeen years ago, one year before this place became Hollow Bastion I was part of the engineering team that Ansem set up to design different Gummi Ships. Mark you, I never met Ansem personally, but still…we designed a whole host of Gummi Ships but most of them never even made it to the floor. There were only four designs that ever did make it to the floor: Highwind, Falcon, Invincible, and this kind: AWRG. That was the one designed for Ansem himself; I mean, it was abbreviated to be Ansem the Wise Radiant Garden Model. Anyway, problem was, they were so expensive we were only able to build three of them, and with very limited Gummi material it became even harder."

"Okay, so what about the ships?" Leon inquired.

"Weren't you listenin'?! There were only three! Ansem's own ship was destroyed in the Heartless attack sixteen years ago. The second one, exploded on lift off- our first and foremost failure. But the third one, that one still remained intact. Now of course, I wasn't able to keep tabs on it…but eleven years ago when I was watchin' space from Traverse Town, like usual, and I saw that ship take off to the sky and space beyond where we live now." The other two just stared blankly at him, still trying to comprehend what was to them, complete and utter gibberish. "Come on you pinheads! That style of ship hasn't been made for seventeen years; hasn't been seen in sixteen except for when I saw it! It got stolen!"

"I don't see how that affects us Cid…" Leon said nonchalantly. Cid hit himself on the head, his frustration reaching its peak.

"Okay, clearly you don't understand what an AWRG type ship is. Yes, it's a luxury ship with all the nice things and accoutrements for a king but it's more than that: it's a battle cruiser. That thing could hold about a thousand warriors or more, no sweat. That thing is loaded with more firepower than our whole fleet put together, and it can hold its own fleet in its bowels." Cid stared at them with fierce eyes for a few moments as it finally clicked in their brains.

"We have a battle cruiser floating right in our airspace! For what reason?" Leon yelled out and Cid threw his hands up in exasperation .

"That's what I'm trying to figure out!" Cid yelled loudly. Leon quickly turned to Yuffie.

"Yuffie, go get the others. We've got trouble on our hands. Cid, contact the King. Quickly!" Yuffie ran out as Cid gave his response to the situation.

"Already way ahead of ya!" Cid said as the communications line to King Mickey's personal Gummi Ship, the _H.R.M.S. Mouse_, were opened. Soon Mickey's face appeared on the screen.

"Hey Leon, Cid, what'cha doin'?" Mickey said cheerfully to the two of them as Donald and Goofy seemed to sidle in behind the king and sat there.

"We've got a problem Your Majesty." Leon said quickly, but calmly.

"Why? What's goin' on?"

"We just found a huge battle cruiser in Radiant Garden airspace and it's just hangin' around." Cid responded to Mickey. "Problem is, this kind of battle cruiser hasn't been seen in years and could wipe out the entire world if it had the whim to."

"Gosh, that sounds bad. Welp, what do you want me to do?" Mickey asked sincerely over the communications line.

"It might be helpful if your fleet could get over here as soon as possible." Leon said quickly. "I don't know why, but I feel like we may have a big battle on our hands."

"You got it! I'll get the Castle Fleet mobilized, and if I got time I'll gather some other forces from elsewhere but if they're there already I don't think I will. Still, I'll try fellas." Mickey said while smiling, always glad to help his friends out.

"Thanks Your Majesty, we really apprecia-" suddenly Leon stopped talking and was bucked forward. But it wasn't just Leon as Cid slammed his head accidentally against the keyboard and the whole house and town seemed to shake from an unknown tremor. Cid swore and they soon regained their bearings and went to look at the screen to continue the conversation with Mickey to find that the screen had gone completely blank with static. "What happened?"

"I don't know!" Cid snapped while frantically typing things on the computer, trying to restore the connection. Soon the door opened, and Leon, being on edge already, whipped out his Gunblade only to be faced with Merlin, Yuffie, Aerith, Tifa, and Cloud. He let out a relieved sigh, but it wasn't to last.

"What happened?!" Leon asked hurriedly and Yuffie was the first to respond, as per usual.

"I went to go find the others like you asked when all of a sudden there was a huge blast in the direction of Villain's Vale. We went to the Bailey and saw…it's gone, Leon. Villain's Vale is completely gone. There's barely even a trace that it was even ever there." Leon whipped around to face Cid.

"Have you gotten the King back up yet?!" he asked frantically, panic beginning to creep into his voice.

"I'm tryin'! But it seems like the whole entire communications system is shot! That or it's bein' blocked!" Cid yelled, his fingers still flying at an abnormal rate. Soon however, he just slammed his fists on the keyboard. "It's no use!" The Restoration Committee looked at each other, worried about this new and unfortunate outcome. Then a voice, clear as day, rang through Radiant Garden. It was not, as Cid had hoped, the King nor had it come from the computer but seemed to echo for everyone to hear.

"Residents of Radiant Garden, I hope you find this day rather pleasant!" said a gruff voice that seemed to come…from the sky…? "I am sure that you have all just felt the blast that affected your world. Yes, that was caused by we on the ship _Unbirth_." The Restoration Committee took yet another look at each other. "You are now, unfortunate to yourselves, at our mercy and must comply with our every terms or you shall be welcoming oblivion upon your world. For one, your communications system to any other world have been blocked by our own so any attempt to contact an off-worlder will fail. On another point, please make no point to prepare your fleet. To do so will be nothing short of humiliating. For one, we can easily destroy your fleet with our previously demonstrated cannon, and then your retaliation will have staggering consequences. You have already seen an example of our power, and that is what will happen to your entire world should you fail to comply with our demands.

"What are our demands? I am sure you are asking this. At this moment, there is a ship carrying three Keyblade wielders to this current location. We intend to intercept them and bring them aboard our ship. Any attempt to warn them of our plans by Gummi Ship or any other means, or stop them from entering the ship, in fact any attempt to impede our plans in any way will result in your total destruction. Therefore, I hope you have clear minds and good hearts to realize the gravity of your situation. Please follow our demands and you will ensure the safety of your people." It was then the voice abruptly ceased to speak. The air in Radiant Garden was now silent and grave, none more so exemplified than with the Restoration Committee. Aerith was the first to speak up.

"_Three _Keyblade wielders?" Aerith said to the stunned and silenced room. "If our thoughts about Sora's death were correct then why three?"

"Riku, Kairi…" Yuffie trailed off, trying to figure out the third one.

"Gentai." Leon said. They stared at him in shock and he briefly shared with the committee about Gentai's previous visit to Radiant Garden, the one where Zexion revealed himself. "This is a problem regardless, all systems are down and if we so much as lift a finger, good bye Radiant Garden."

"So what do we do?" Cloud asked the group at large, more determined than anything else. Leon turned to him.

"We wait." he said, knowing that patience was ultimately the best option.

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Unfortunately for Riku, Kairi, and Gentai, they knew nothing about the ship until they entered Radiant Garden airspace. There they saw the gleaming white ship.

"What is that?" Kairi asked Riku as he piloted towards it. Riku shook his head. But then his hands seized on the joystick that controlled the Gummi Ship and it seemed he was trying to do something but couldn't. "What's going on?"

"Tractor beam." Riku stated simply. And with horror the three of them realized they were being sucked into the giant ship where there may not be any return.

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Author's Note: Well, there it is. Sorry for the choppy ending there but I didn't want to start the next chapter with that. Seems Mr. Bad Guy in Armor is unleashing his plan now. But what does he have in store for our heroes? Will Mickey be able to aid the members of Radiant Garden? Stay tuned for more information. And once more, please review and let me know what you think.


	5. Chapter 4: Encounter of the Keyblades

**DISCLAIMER: I own nothing to do with this story save for plot lines or OCs and this holds for all of it, so don't ask me again.**

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Chapter 4

Encounter of the Keyblades

The Gummi Ship entered into a massive hangar on the ship. Riku, Kairi and Gentai all sat there silently and without struggling as the ship pulled them in to the massive and forbidding hangar. Riku knew best not to struggle against the ultimately inevitable. They were never going to break free and as such, there was no point in trying at all. So they sat and wait as the force of the tractor beam sucked them to their doom. Riku closed his eyes and waited, filling himself with all cold thought until he distinctly felt the Gummi Ship lightly touch down on the floor of the hanger. A few minutes passed but still he did not open his eyes until he felt a light touch on his shoulder. His eyes snapped open and he shot a look to Kairi whose hand was on his shoulder.

"What do we do?" she whispered and Riku noticed that Gentai was also looking at him. They sat there in silence and soon they heard rattling outside. Gentai punched some numbers into the Gummi Ship and scowled as a view screen came up that gave them a look as to their outside surroundings. Gentai pointed at the screen as Riku scrutinized it. There were a congregation of men standing just outside the Gummi Ship with no weapons and very little protection in the way of armor. But something still felt off. Riku could smell it.

There was darkness in this place.

He shook his head and Kairi and Gentai both seemed to know what he was thinking: there was no way he was going to fight all of the men waiting right outside that ship. He locked his eyes with the both of them and nodded conveying his message. They were going to become prisoners until the tide in this place turned in their favor, which Riku was hoping it would. He flipped a few switches on the engine and it powered down, reducing the strain on the engines. Then he flicked one more switch and the cockpit blue top suddenly slid open. Gentai was the first to grab onto the ladder and lift himself out. He came on top of the Gummi Ship and leapt down onto the cold steel floor. Kairi and Riku soon followed in suit. When they finally regained their bearings they looked at the men in front of them. A circle of men and women garbed in a blue shirt with cream-colored skirt-like things surrounded them. But directly in front of them was a vanguard of five people. Gentai leaned in toward Riku.

"Quite the welcoming party we have here, huh?" Gentai chuckled out nervously and Riku merely grimaced, not at all pleased with the situation. The man at the head of the vanguard stepped forward. He, unlike the others, was wearing a red shirt with a blue skirt thing and upon closer inspection Gentai was able to discern a heart shaped rest upon his belt. He tried to examine it some more but soon the man spoke, gaining his full attention.

"Riku and Kairi I presume?" the man said, a faint british accent filling his undertones. They looked over the man with a slight amount of disgust, especially Riku as he reeked of darkness. Then they nodded tersely giving the man the affirmative as it would have done no good to say otherwise. He cracked a slight smile that they did not return. "Excellent, we have been waiting for you." He turned to the men behind him and made a salute-like motion with his arms and the men in the circle broke apart and the other part of the vanguard formed two straight lines. He then turned to the three Keyblade masters and nodded, indicating that they should follow him. Then he strode forward as Riku, Kairi, and Gentai followed in his wake.

They looked over the walls of the ship that were a pearly white, which almost surprised Riku, given the amount of darkness the place had reeked. He felt a creeping sensation on the tip of his fingers and he wanted nothing more than to summon his Way to the Dawn and start beating away on this tour guide from the ship of darkness. But as he began to form the ripple of light in his hand that would bring forth his blade the man suddenly spoke again, cutting that thought out of existence.

"We're all civilized men here, no Keyblades. Or I guarantee you'll find many more piercing your flesh." Riku stopped and the ripple vanished. He stole a glance at Kairi whose sea-blue eyes were filled with confusion, doubt, and most of all, fear. Riku could also feel Gentai tensing up behind him but chose not say anything; they still had no clue what these men had wanted. After a few more minutes of silent walking and passing by some other men and women garbed in the same clothing as though in the hanger, the man stopped them in front of a door. He scanned his eye and his palm and the door opened with a whoosh. "My lord and master is waiting inside. Please join him." He gestured inside and Riku, seeing no alternative, stepped in with Kairi and Gentai close behind him. As he entered the room he almost wanted to close his eyes to shield him from the bright light. But soon his eyes adjusted and he looked around.

The room was rectangular in nature though it was extremely hard to tell seeing as the whole entire room is white. In the dead center of the room there was an oblong white and rectangular table that had no scratches and no marks upon it. There were many white chairs gathered around the table and it seemed to Riku as though they used this room for meetings…whoever _they_ were. But it was the person sitting at the head of the table that caught Riku's immediate attention and it seemed he truly was the focal point of the room. It was a man, or so Riku believed clad in golden armor that showed signs of having been through many battles. On his head was a helmet with two spikes sticking up. He sat there at the table, a calm as thick as death surrounding him. Riku lightly sniffed the room and realized this was the man from whom the darkness was emanating. He moved slightly, waving his armored hand at the three of them, indicating that they should sit down. They took his cue and sat as the door whooshed closed behind them. All three of the Keyblade masters sat there uncomfortably and in dead silence until at last the armored man spoke.

"At last you've come." he said to them and Riku immediately was ready to go on the defensive. The less this man knew about him the better. "I was almost beginning to think you'd never make it but alas…here you are."

"And just who might you be?" Riku spat at the man, already not liking him. The man in armor chuckled at him and shook his head as though he knew something secret that Riku did not know.

"I suppose most people would want to know the name of their supposed captors. But I am no captor, merely a soul seeking aid from the Keyblade masters."

"And how do you and your crew know so much about the Keyblade? We've never met you so it seems almost impossible for you to-"

"Do Keyblade Masters these days ever use their brains for a change?" The man in armor stood up with such force that Riku was sure the whole ship could feel it. "We know this of you because we are Keyblade Masters!" The room was stunned into silence, not a word was uttered. Riku tried to stutter out a sentence but couldn't manage it, and the man knew. "For eleven years now I have remained collecting the Keyblade masters for a purpose."

"And what purpose would that be?" Kairi spat, already not liking the man before her. The man in armor chuckled.

"It seems that an explanation is in order then…" he said as he sat back down, preparing to tell his story.

"Then why don't you start with who you are?" Gentai said boldly but quietly. The man snapped a look to him…or it was assumed that he did. Then he gave a short, curt, nod.

"Yes, I suppose that would be best." He cleared his throat but the gruffness still remained. "My name is Terra." Riku sat back in his seat and contemplated the name.

"Never heard of you." Riku said nonchalantly. Terra scoffed.

"I'm not surprised. I passed from any type of legend years ago…seventeen years ago to be exact. Yes…let us start there. Seventeen years ago, I was part of a group known as the Chasers. We were tasked with tracking down Master Xehanort, but he betrayed us. We fought him in a desert where many Keyblades were scattered…remnants of the war that he had incited. I then promised to watch over the Keyblade Masters for many years. That is how I knew you, Riku. I watched over you and Sora for many, many years until at last, when Sora turned the age of ten, I left.

"I acquired this ship you see here from the ruins of Hollow Bastion before Maleficent could set her eye on me. Then I began to pick up the pieces of the war. I found many Keyblade Masters and took them aboard my ship. But I needed more, I needed a force greater than that of the worlds themselves in order to accomplish my goal. And I remembered. The desert had Keyblades littering its sandy dunes. I could unlock the hearts from those fallen Keyblade masters and create an army so great, all would fall to it." Now It was Riku's turn to scoff.

"Yeah, and if they're dead how can they fight in your army? Oh, I know, have Hades bring them back!" Riku said sarcastically. But Terra chuckled at the comment and it chilled Riku's blood.

"Keyblade Masters have a set moment in history for them to die. So if they die before it is their time then they can come back by freeing the hearts from their Keyblades. Unfortunately, I could not figure out how to do so. While the rest of my crew was searching out the Keyblade masters that were scattered, I remained on the desert to contemplate how I could free those lost souls." Terra shook his head and it seemed he was doing so in disgrace. "I stayed there for years and I never came closer to the truth…something must have been stopping me, somehow. I even stayed there long enough for Sora to come and face me in battle. ironic that I thought he was Xehanort but…no matter."

"And why would you think that?" Riku asked him through gritted teeth, the look on his face clearly portraying his distaste for this man. But Terra did not answer the question and merely pressed on with his story.

"But now I've finally figured it out…and much to my dismay." Terra once more stood up from his chair and began to pace around, his armor clinking around as he walked. "After years of having left that desert there, I can no longer find it. My sense of direction is not nearly as good as it used to be. I'm afraid. But I need to find it. That's where you three can help me."

"And what makes you so sure we'll help you?" Kairi said defiantly. Terra swiveled his head in her direction.

"Because, princess, you and Riku both owe me in repayment for my service of watching over you all those years."

"We owe you nothing!" Riku said coldly and Terra laughed loudly.

"Quite the contrary." he simply stated and soon all fell silent between the four warriors in the room. The three guests seemed to be contemplating an answer out of their situation while Terra was calmly, but fiercely, waiting for their answer. Riku sensed around in the darkness pervading the room, attempting to discern the man's intentions but to no avail.

"And what might you exactly be planning on doing with this army?" Riku said, his clenched teeth blocking out most of what he was saying, but Terra nevertheless understood it.

"The worlds have become corrupt with Xehanort's influence. I can smell its stench everywhere on these worlds and it needs to be cleansed." Terra stated simply and the three visitors were nearly thrown back from the shock. Kairi was the first to speak but it was in a whisper so low it was barely audible.

"That's…that's genocide…" Kairi murmured. But Terra made no response either because he was not listening, only cared to hear an answer, or the more likely, he was planning on finishing his story.

"Xehanort corrupted my past and took away most of what was dear. He used the darkness and reveled in it. His filth needs to be washed away and if eliminating the people of the worlds is the way to do that then I'll do it. But I need my army, and more importantly I need a captain to lead my army."

"We will not aid you in destroying the worlds we love!" Riku yelled out and Terra merely absorbed the outburst like a rock edifice.

"No, I never thought you would. But Sora will." Terra said and he was met with stunned silence once more, but this time it was only for a brief second before the next comment was made.

"Don't you know…Sora's dead…" Kairi choked out, tears threatening to start falling down her face again. Terra gave a short barking laugh.

"Weren't you listening? I said that Keyblade masters have a set time in history to die. Do you really think Sora's moment to die was stopping that fool Zexion from killing you, Riku?" He laughed a longer laugh this time. "No! No indeed! His Keyblade rests within the desert at Sunset Horizons, and there it will remain until someone comes to free it again. Which is exactly what I intend to have you do." The three sat there, musing with their own thoughts at the fact that Sora might be alive. It seemed impossible, unbelievable, and yet it all made sense. But Riku made the most sense out of them all.

"No…" he breathed. Terra cocked his head in his direction indicating that he was wondering what would have prompted Riku to say such a thing. "We want to see Sora more than anything…we want him to come back…but not so you can use him."

"But I believe that you do not have a choice in the matter Riku, I am most sorely afraid." Terra summoned his Keyblade in a flash of light quickly and held it to bear in front of him. "Might I remind you that you are captives aboard my ship. You will do as I command or I guarantee personally you will not live to see tomorrow. Follow my commands, I'll let you stay comfortably aboard my ship, disobey me and I'll throw you into the brig or worse. One of you is going to find Sunset Horizons and free Sora, and bring him back to me."

The three companions looked at each other, each of them seeming to size one another up and down to determine who would be the best option to perform this mission to resurrect their fallen friend. They looked at Kairi, an athletic girl who had most definitely improved over the years, thanks mostly to Sora's efforts in training her. Skilled at magic most definitely but maybe not the greatest at physical combat. There was Gentai, skinny and yet strong. He was hardened from the experience but still seemed to have an air around and all of them felt Gentai should not be the one to go. Then there was Riku: strong, buff and altogether capable of handling any situation. Not to mention he could sense things a mile away with that particular scent sniffer. To the three of them, the choice was clear,

"I'll go." Riku said simply and he stood up as though ready to take on his mission. But Terra shook his head.

"You misunderstand what I mean. I said that one of you must go and free Sora, I did not say you had a choice as to which one it would be." They looked at Terra with looks of incredulity before he slowly pointed at Gentai. "He'll be the one going to free Sora. And that word is final."

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**Author's Note: Yes, sorry for the slight cliffhanger, but I do so love cliffhangers, they're what makes a good story. But enough with the rambling! Sorry for the long time in updating but since I only have one reviewer who I am going to thank here: the Shadow of Namelesspain, it seems no one misses it. Please people, review or it will make me sad, I don't care if it tells me how much I suck, just please review. Anyway, I hope you've been enjoying anyway and so until next time, Dare to Be Silly.**


	6. Chapter 5: Trust

**DISCLAIMER: I own nothing to do with this story save for plot lines or OCs and this holds for all of it, so don't ask me again.**

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Chapter 5

Trust

There was only a brief moment of silence at Terra's proclamation before both Riku and Kairi started yelling in tandem with each other as to the insanity behind making Gentai go and fulfill this mission. They both believed that at least one of them should go or at least they should have been given the chance to make their own choice. In fact, the only one of the three not saying anything regarding the subject was the one in question: Gentai himself. He just sat there and let a full sense of shocked numbness permeate through his body. Sure, he was the kind of guy who would want to prove himself but this was just crazy what Terra was demanding of him. But as Riku and Kairi continued to yell, Terra held up a hand and they were silenced.

"He shall be the one going. I will not accept no for an answer and there shall be no other choice in the matter." Terra said with a calmness that belied a deep rage within its undertones. Gentai now took this moment to speak up.

"And why, might I ask, did you choose me to go through with this?" he said softly but Terra was still able to hear him.

"Of the three of you, you are the youngest and least experienced. Therefore, this will ensure that you will be less inclined to stray from the path set before you. This will be because you will have the threat of death hanging over you and I rather doubt you want to deal with that on your plate." He seemed to consider his words a moment longer before tacking onto the end the statement of: "Not to mention, if you do stray it will be far easier to kill you for insubordination than it will these two and I'd rather not expend the effort." The weight of Terra's words hit him like a knife as he realized he was only there because he was like a little sheep to be herded.

"So let me get this straight," Gentai said, trying to sort out all the facts in his head. "I find this desert that you once found but can find no more for some odd reason, use the Keyblade to release Sora's heart from his Keyblade and bring him back to this ship where you're going to grill him and try to get him to join you in your mad quest to destroy the worlds. Is that right?"

"I believe that sums it up succinctly." Terra said a cold air of happiness pervading the area around him. "And to answer what will probably be next in a line of questions: no you will not be receiving an escort. You will be going alone and you will take your gummi ship. But be rest assured that if you deviate from your path we will find you and kill you." Gentai just gulped in air and steadied himself at this comment.

"And should Sora refuse your demands?" Riku snapped at him, anger straining in every line and tone of his voice.

"I will spare him for the moment but when the worlds go down, he goes down with them. That is the way it has always been and the way it will always be." Terra stated to Riku, facing in his direction. "The same will go with you. I'll pardon you from my ship, all of you, once this boy returns with Sora. In the meantime, Riku and Kairi, you will receive amiable accommodations aboard my ship…unless of course you attempt to do me or my crew any harm. In which case, we'll toss you in the brig which I'll not you will not escape even with the Keyblade." Kairi was the next to speak.

"Is Gentai to return here on his own or are you going to follow his every move to make sure he doesn't screw it up and disobey your commands?" Kairi said with a ferocity equal to The Beast.

"Come now, I would've have thought you to believe me as more trusting than all that. Of course I will not be following him. I will be waiting with you on this ship for him to return and come here. No following is necessary if he just follow my commands." The room fell once more into silence for a few moments before Gentai stood up at last.

"Okay. Fine. I'll do it." Riku and Kairi shot him looks that said things such as "Shut up!" or "What are you doing, you idiot?!" Gentai just returned a steely look to them. "Hey, it's not like we really have a choice in the matter here do we now?" Terra chuckled a bit and his armor rattled this time with the chuckle because the chuckle soon turned into booming laughter that rattled the ship slightly.

"Well, I am glad that at least one of you sees the gravity of your situation!" Terra yelled. "I'll give you two hours of leave and then you depart. The engineers are tuning up your Gummi Ship in the hanger." And without so much as another word, Terra strode from the room, cape flicking behind him and soon the door closed with a mighty whoosh. Riku rounded on Gentai.

"Are you mad?!" Riku yelled at him. "We have no idea if what he's saying is even true. It could all be a trap!"

"Well that's just a gamble that we'll have to take!" Gentai snapped back at him and the force behind his voice was so great that even Riku recoiled a bit. "Look, Riku, Kairi, if we don't do it Terra will kill all of us. We've already lost one Keyblade Master in the past few days, I don't think the worlds need to lose anymore! So we go on it regardless! Look, you saw me fight in Port Royal, didn't you? You saw me fight Zexion, I even fought you guys at first. I can fight! I can take care of myself! When are you guys going to start trusting me? I'm a Keyblade Master. I don't give a damn who Sora was! I'm a Keyblade Master too and I expect you to treat me as such!"

The stony silence that filled the room next was one of the most tense silences ever felt between Riku and Kairi. To them he was just a kid of fifteen years old…but then again, were they themselves not around that age when they saved the worlds last time? Did they really not treat him with any respect? In their minds they treated him with as much respect as they could muster, at least as much respect as they thought he deserved but here Gentai was refuting and defying them in anger on this point. Kairi took action first as Riku came out of his stunned, speechless state. She knelt down and grasped Gentai's shoulders.

"Gentai, it's not that we don't trust you? We just lost someone dear to us and we're still trying to get over that." Kairi said kindly, trying to explain their behavior but Gentai wouldn't have it.

"_You_ just lost someone dear to you?! I just lost my mentor! We're both in the same situation!" The two masters looked at him and he just sighed. "Look, I understand that you're worried that Terra may be lying. I already explained to you why we should go and honestly, if Terra is lying then really, we're no worse off than we were before this all happened. And if we're successful then who knows, we may get Sora back!" The two of them looked at each other at Gentai's comments and at last conceded to what he was saying.

"Well, if you're going to get going, it had best be sooner than later." Riku stated with a sigh and Gentai nodded. They opened the door to find the man that had originally escorted them standing there, waiting there for them.

"Are you ready to embark then?" the man asked and all they did was nod mutely. The man then shifted around and began to lead them back to the hangar speaking to them as he went, informing both Riku and Kairi to join Terra on the bridge after Gentai had gone off. They didn't answer but the man seemed to not care whether they gave him an answer or not. After a few minutes of walking they finally arrived at the bridge and many of the warriors standing there backed away from the three Keyblade Masters. Gentai put a hand on the gummi ship and looked to Kairi and Riku.

"Well, be seeing you guys in a while." Gentai said and he gave them a smile and prepared to climb into the Gummi Ship. He managed to get his foot on a notch in between the gummi blocks before Kairi called his name. He turned around and looked at her.

"You'll bring Sora back, won't you?" Kairi said, her eyes once more beginning to well up again.

"Of course I will. Trust me. I made Hikaru a promise to protect the worlds, and I can start by rescuing Sora." Gentai said happily, to cover up his sadness.

"He's my best friend. I always thought that I'd go long before he did because my heart had given into the darkness but I guess that I was wrong. Bring him back so I can beat him up for causing me such problems." Riku said, a slightly evil smirk etched onto his face. Gentai laughed at the look on his face but with a sharp pang remembered that he had once had friends in his past life. Friends who would say things like that, make him laugh like that…but no longer. He had a tear roll down his eye but he wiped it up before anyone noticed. But then Gentai thought on a much larger problem at hand.

"Where do you think I should start? There could be any number of ways to find this desert world and just flying around in a Gummi Ship won't do me much good. There must be a better way to find the answer that I'm looking for." Gentai said and the two of them mused on this for a moment.

"I say start with Destiny Islands." Riku said. "Terra mentioned that he had watched over us for years, which means he was there for many years, probably right after this desert of his, right after he had traveled around. You might be able to find a clue there that he just forgot about." Gentai nodded, a new resolve set on his face. Riku put his hands on Gentai's shoulders and looked down into the boy's eyes. "You'll do fine. Remember, we'll be waiting for you, no matter how well you do. We'll try and keep things as good as possible here." He then withdrew and motioned for Gentai to get onto the ship. Kairi then stepped forward.

"Bring him back…and…tell him…" Kairi looked into Gentai's eyes as well and saw the kindness permeating their depths, even with the cold reality that was now burned into the retinas. "Tell him that I love him." Gentai laughed again, not because he felt it was funny but because of the simplicity of that request.

"Don't worry, I will. But you should tell him yourself when I bring him back here." Gentai leaped onto the ship now and was about to enter the cockpit before he turned to them. They had looks of both fear, sadness, and determination on their faces. "Don't worry, I can fly a Gummi Ship. And I'll bring Sora back, I promise! So don't wait up!" And Gentai hopped into the Gummi Ship and began flicking switches to turn it on. Its Firaga-G engines heated up once more and Gentai checked to make sure that all pieces of the system were a go. Everybody backed away from the ship to avoid being hurt and Gentai slowly twisted the ship around to face the hanger doors as it rose into the area. Then all of the Keyblade Masters in the hanger, including Riku and Kairi, surrounded themselves with a Reflect spell as the blast doors open. Gentai gave them one last wink and soon shot off into the emptiness of space.

The blast doors quickly closed behind them and the reflect shields dropped, allowing them to breathe on the ship. Instantly all the Keyblade Masters began milling about, set to do something else. Kairi just looked at Riku.

"Do you think he'll be okay?" Kairi said. Riku just laughed at that comment.

"If he's anything like Sora, I think he'll be more than okay." Riku chuckled out and for a moment it seemed that world was right, two friends laughing like old times, even with one of their friends gone, but soon the air changed. "Come on, let's go see what _Lord Terra_ wants." Riku said, showing his extreme distaste for their captors name and the two of them began to walk off for the bridge of the _Unbirth_.

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Terra stood on the bridge, once more seeming to stare out into the cold confines of space. Any moment now he knew the boy would be leaving. Despite their reluctance, he knew all along that they would help. It was their duty, and the threat of death truly added a nice touch to it. A few minutes later, he felt more than saw the Gummi Ship, and Gentai's presence leave the ship and go blasting off into the direction of space. He waved his hand at his men and they all knew what the sign meant as the door to the bridge whooshed open and Riku and Kairi's previous escort stepped into the room. He bowed to Terra.

"Should we fire up the main engines for pursuit, my lord?" the man asked and Terra shook his head.

"Give it a few minutes. We're locked on, he shouldn't get too far. We did promise we would not pursue after all…give him the impression that we aren't." He then remained silent for a moment before adding his own afterthought. "But make sure to not stay in orbit around whatever planet he lands on so we can at least keep tabs, but he suspects nothing." The man bowed to him with a short, curt, "Yes, my lord." Terra seemed satisfied with the way things were going before one of his Bridge crew members spoke up.

"My Lord, Riku and Kairi are proceeding to the bridge." he informed Terra and Terra acknowledged the information.

"Time for all the pieces to be put into play…" Terra murmured as the bridge doors opened and Riku and Kairi stepped through them.

"So what do you want us here for now?!" Riku said incredulously.

"I thought that perhaps you would want to see for yourself what our ship is like, the bridge area at least. Who knows? It may come in handy in the future." Terra stated with an air of intolerance of the two near him.

"Yeah, we'll be long gone well before then." Riku said to him, his anger at the man rising through.

"You place an extraordinary amount of faith in your friend. Are you sure he will be able to brave the perils that lie before him?"

"As he assured us before he left," Kairi began. "He has braved many perils already." Terra cocked his head at her.

"Touché." Terra said before he turned to his crew members. "Ignite the engines." The crew members nodded at him and began twiddling little devices on their station boards.

"Ignite the engines? What for?" Riku asked. Terra turned to him, and though they could not tell under his armor he seemed to be acting with a façade of mock innocence.

"Why, we're going to be trailing your dear friend." Terra said in mock surprise. Both of them stepped back.

"What?" Kairi blurted out incredulously.

"You promised Gentai you weren't going to follow him and watch his every move. You promised him! He trusted you!" Riku yelled at Terra, stepping forward slightly and terra gave a derisive laugh.

"You truly amuse me." He paused for a moment before pushing on. "If there's one thing that you should learn in this world it is that you should never trust the word of anybody, because nobody's words are to be trusted." He once more turned to his crew and spoke loudly. "Follow the boy." As he finished his sentence he found two Keyblades pressed near his neck, both belonging to Kairi and Riku respectively. "I really wouldn't do that if I were you."

Sure enough, seconds later everybody on the bridge was standing having summoned their Keyblades. Kairi withdrew hers first and put a hand on Riku's shoulder.

"Come on Riku, I don't think this is a battle even we can win." Riku acceded to her demands and withdrew his Keyblade. Terra cricked his neck and turned to face them.

"Ungrateful louts! I give you room and accommodation aboard my ship and you simply spurn it. Very well, I am left with no alternative. Men, take these two to the brig." Terra proclaimed. And without so much as a peep of struggle the two were dragged out and Terra faced the space that was changing in front of him as he followed Gentai. Everything was going according to plan.

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**Author's Note: Yay! Another chapter done! On another note, I hope you are enjoying the story so far because we'll start to a chapter focusing solely on Gentai and switch off until we reach the desert (which won't be very long). But for now only a few questions remain: Will Sora come back to life? What will Gentai find on Destiny Islands? How will Riku and Kairi fair in the brig? Will Terra succeed in his maniacal plans? And why I am asking you these questions anyway? Thanks to Marine is hope2 for reviewing. Anyway, leave a review (hopefully a good one) and as always in the days ahead, Dare to Be Silly.**


	7. Chapter 6: Destiny's Way

**DISCLAIMER: I own nothing to do with this story save for plot lines or OCs and this holds for all of it, so don't ask me again.**

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Chapter 6

Destiny's Way

Gentai was silent as he piloted the Gummi Ship through the coldness of space. As he did so he was thinking fiercely. Yes, he was forced into this but there was something that intrigued him about this mission, a mystery he wanted solved. It was possible for Sora to come back since it was not his time to die…could that mean that his old mentor might be able to come back? Was it his time to die fighting against Zexion. Gentai didn't want to accept that but then he also knew that sometimes you had to square away the painful past, no matter how much it hurt.

He just leaned back as he piloted and sighed. _Well, at least Hikaru taught me how to fly one of these things_, Gentai thought to himself and he smiled, remembering all the battles they had been through with that Gummi Ship. Gentai would often take the weapons in battle but when the thicket was too much for them to handle, Hikaru would always shunt Gentai to take the wheel and maneuver while he blew the Heartless ships up. But that didn't matter now, he was going to fulfill this mission and end it once and for all. He was going to stop blaming himself for Sora's death if Sora could come back. That was his mission. That was, to him, his purpose right now. And he would not fail.

He pressed forward on the accelerator and shot forward, locking his navigational device onto Destiny Islands. It was pretty easy to do so since they had just left the islands and had never really arrived at their intended destination. The islands were fast approaching and Gentai started wondering what people would think when they saw the Gummi Ship on a clear day floating in the sky so soon after both Riku and Kairi had left. Oh well, he'd deal with that later. He entered orbit around Destiny Islands and flicked a few things on the dashboard that he had always remembered Hikaru flicking when they were about to land on a world. He then walked over to the strange beaming device and flicked a switch sending him quickly down to the world below.

Sure enough, Gentai landed in the little shack on the island. Well, at least the shack was a good place to land. He then opened the door and stepped out onto the sand white beach. He felt the breeze blow around him but this time it felt cooler and kinder than it had during the funeral. The islands seemed to either have accepted Sora's death or were quite content because they knew Gentai was trying to bring him back. Regardless Gentai decided to commence his search. He had taken only a few steps when a voice to the far left of him happened to call his name.

"Gentai!!" The voice yelled. It was female, slightly young but Gentai couldn't think who it might be calling after him. Regardless he turned towards the voice and saw the sight of a girl with brown hair running towards him. At first he couldn't place why this girl was calling out to him before he finally realized and remembered exactly who this girl was. He started walking towards her as she finished running up to him and stopped in front of him, panting, her hands resting on her knees in order to stabilize and balance herself. Gentai looked at her with a look of amusement playing his face. She clutched a stitch in her side as she looked up at him. "What are you doing back here?"

"Whatever could you mean?" Gentai asked sarcastically, knowing full well that he'd have to explain it sooner or later.

"You, Riku, and Kairi left just this morning! Do you really expect me to believe you visited radiant Garden and made it back already?!" the girl said, now placing her hands on her hips and glaring at him defiantly. Gentai just laughed loudly.

"Yes, we did Demora, but that doesn't mean anything. We Keyblade Masters have many powers at our disposal!" Gentai cried out and Demora just looked at him with a very skeptical expression that clearly conveyed that she didn't believe a word he said.

"Doesn't mean you can travel at the speed of light, or have the power of time travel for that instance." Demora said in a very hard and biting tone.

"Whoa, whoa, don't get me wrong! I have traveled through time before, although, not by my own power. And…" He tried to find a way to prove the next one but could find nothing and so he hung his head in defeat at this girl's words. "No…we cannot travel at the speed of light. But we can fly…if we want to! I can run really fast, jump really high use some cool moves and-Ow!" Gentai exclaimed as he rubbed the back of his head where Demora had hit him playfully. His eyes watered a bit; he hadn't known she could hit so hard.

"You guys are also capable of being pompous and arrogant idiots!" she said playfully with a smile and Gentai threw her a fake look of disgust.

"Look, I'm as humble as they come!"

"More humble than Sora?" Gentai asked, a now truly amused expression on her face at his current predicament. Truthfully, Gentai was finding this somewhat difficult. He had never really spoken with many girls before all this began and speak with someone his own age was even more disconcerting. He thought-no that wasn't possible. He had only just met this girl, was it possible that he was beginning to like her? _No, no relationships. I'm a Keyblade Master, I have a duty I can't have a relationship with some girl I hardly know!_ But he wanted to and that was the problem. Demora was looking at him with a kind smile on her face, expecting an answer to soon come from his mouth. He just smiled sheepishly and chuckled a bit.

"I don't think that anyone can be as humble as Sora, to be perfectly honest." Gentai said to her and Demora giggled.

"Then I guess you're wrong. You're not as humble as they come unless you can beat Sora in humility!" There was a short pause between them though it wasn't rife with sadness or tension as most other pauses had been between Gentai and others…actually it seemed as though there was a pause of nervousness between the both of them. Gentai decided to break the nervous silence.

"So, what were you doing here?" Gentai asked her, sincerely wanting to know the answer.

"I could ask the same thing of you, but since you asked first I will answer your question." She turned around and walked to the paopu island. Gentai just looked after her exasperatedly, slightly furious at the fact that Demora never answered his question. And so, in the heat of emotion he raced after her, quickly jumping straight from the water onto the paopu island. He glared at her and she giggled even harder than the last time, knowing that she had just given him a hard time in all things possible. "I come to the island on my days off…especially during the summer you know. Lots of kids do…people just haven't been coming since Sora died. So if they come here, they'll go to the cove and play there. I believe that answers your question. Now what about you? Why are you here? And where are Riku and Kairi?" Demora looked around as though hoping to find the two elder Keyblade masters.

"Yeah, about that. I'm searching for something in order to help Riku and Kairi…hmm…maybe you could help me find it."

"Doesn't answer my question but okay! What are you looking for?" Demora said cheerily and Gentai was a little surprised as to the readiness of her response.

"Wait a moment…that was a little too quick…" Gentai said hesitantly.

"Well, when you hear enough stories about adventures that Sora, Kairi, and Riku all had, you start to want to go on one yourself, you know." Demora said simply, as though that was the simplest answer in all the worlds.

"Right…what's the catch here, Demora?" he said, scrutinizing her face, attempting to discern what she wanted. "What do you want out of this if you help me?"

"Take me to another world!" Demora answered and Gentai just stared at her dumbfounded. "I wan to go to another world, experience Sora's stories for myself. It would be the adventure of a lifetime. And I'd be with you so I'd be okay…I can fight anyway. I trained using short swords once I became an orphan. You'll take me won't you?"

Gentai was still staring at her. Something in his head was screaming the he shouldn't take her along for a large number of reasons: she was too young, inexperienced, it was too dangerous and who knows what could happen to her out there in the cold hard worlds. But while his head was screaming no, his heart was screaming yes. Unfortunately for him, he thought, his heart was winning and it was his heart that took control of his mouth.

"Yeah! Sure!" Demora smiled at him kindly before it changed to devilishly and she walked over to Gentai who was standing near the edge of the island, and pushed him over the edge. He tried to stabilize himself by waving his arms but soon he fell off…but his feet never touched the water, or any part of him. Demora stared at him wide-eyed. "I told you I could fly!" She giggled fiercely and Gentai, not even conscious of what he was doing himself, took Demora's hand and flew her quickly over to the nearby island. As they landed, their hands lost contact and both of them blushed fiercely and turned away from the other.

"So…uh…where do we begin?" Demora stuttered out after that embarrassing moment.

"Hmmm…do you know of any place, other than the secret place, where people would maybe stay on this island to avoid being seen?" Gentai asked, because though he had been here once before he was still unaware of the surroundings and everything to do with them. Demora placed a hand to her chin and thought for a moment. She then looked around the island quickly but only spared each of her surroundings a glance or two. Gentai looked at her, trying to figure out what she was thinking but came up with nothing.

"Well, there is the mountain." Demora said. She motioned upwards and Gentai saw the mountain, its enormous peaks jutting towards the sky. "There's a path leading up to it from the village. Its easy access if you have the strength to make it." Gentai just kind of scoffed though it was low enough that Demora didn't hear a thing. _Yeah, I think Terra would have enough strength to do that._

"All right, but we don't have time to walk there. So we're gonna fly!" Gentai said happily and he looked to Demora who had a small look of fear on her face. "What? You're not scared are you?"

"I'm not scared of anything!" Demora said defiantly. "I'm just wondering if you'll be able to hold me while you're flying…" Gentai let a laughter of great mirth escape from his lips and as his answer he just held out his hand.

"You trust me don't you?" Gentai said, hoping the answer would be yes despite the short length of time they had known each other. Demora looked at his hand and smiled, reaching out for it and grabbing it tight.

"With my life." she told him and despite Gentai's shock at the severity of that phrase he thought no more on it and took flight into the air, soaring towards the mountain at high speed, Demora giggling along below him. It was only after two or three minutes of circling the mountain that Gentai noticed a small trail trickling up the side and he also noticed after descending and upon further inspection that there was a cave jutting into the side of the mountain. Gentai angled both him and Demora towards the cave entrance and shot down, lightly touching the ground as they landed. Gentai then let go of Demora's hand and entered the cave, Demora following slightly behind him.

The cave was empty…almost. There were still remnants around the cave that looked to be from a makeshift bed and maybe an old-fashioned stove of some sort. There also seemed to be a small room that was an offshoot from the main cavern that looked like it was roughly hewn from the rock recently. Gentai took a peek in that room and found nothing except for marks on the wall where it looked like a blade had been struck against many, many times. Gentai knew just by looking at the cave that Terra had once in here…but would he be able to find a clue as to how to get to that desert. He probably wouldn't have wanted to forget about it and as he didn't really have a Gummi Ship it would have been difficult for him to get around easily. Either way, Gentai decided to head back to the main chamber and looked around, Demora searching as well. He was about to give up hope when he found something lodged behind the stove: a scroll that seemed not too old.

Gentai picked up the scroll and dusted it off of the dust, filth and other things that had accumulated on its being. Demora stepped behind him and looked at the scroll, wondering what it was. Gentai turned it over but couldn't discern any writing or letters anywhere. He was about to toss it when he noticed something. As it was about to leave his hand the light from the mouth of the cave passed over it and Gentai saw a very light scrawl across the page. He reflexively shot his hand back in to look at the page. The light from the outside was too dim to read it so he decided on the next best thing. His hand stretched in front of him and his Keyblade appeared in his hand, Demora gasping as it did so. Gentai's blade was simple in nature, a white hilt that surrounded the handle and seemed like lightly polished marble. The shaft that spread upward was also whit but with black tendrils seeming to snake their way up the shaft, twisting around in elegant fashion. At the end where the blade was there was a crown on it, similar to the ones that Sora and he himself wore on their chests. That was the only part of the blade that was golden. Hanging from the end of it was a small keychain in the shape of a heart with wings upon it, the same keychain that formed the symbol of Terra's crew.

"Does it…does it have a name?" Demora asked him while touching the blade. Gentai just looked at her in confusion. "Well, you know…Sora's is the Kingdom Key, Riku's is the Way to Dawn, Kairi decided to name hers Destiny's Way because it reminded her of the islands."

"Yeah, never really thought about naming it anything other than Keyblade." Gentai chuckled out. "But I'll think on it later." And he lit the tip of his Keyblade with a light that shown brilliantly. From this he was able to read the words that now appeared on the scroll.

_To the desert where I left my sadness and rage_

_I have finally found the way home to it to regain these burdens_

_Though the door on this island leads to another world_

_It seems that the desert is immune to such a travel_

_Xehanort got there through shadow and twilight_

_And I believe that is the only way which I can arrive_

_So I shall take the wandering path of darkness in the door to Radiant Garden_

_From there I shall take a rightful Gummi Ship_

_And go to Twilight Town…_

_Perhaps there is where I will find all answers_

Gentai lowered his blade and dismissed it from his hands. He then pocketed the scroll next to Sora's ring for Kairi. Demora looked at him silently and he nodded his head a smile on his face.

"You wanted to see another world, right?" Gentai said a peal of laughter escaping from him. "Well, get ready to go to Twilight Town."

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**Author's Note: Ha ha, that's right! To Twilight Town! I hope you enjoyed this chapter despite it lacking Kingdom Hearts characters. Don't worry, next chapter will bring us straight back there. As for the name of Gentai's Keyblade I have a few ideas but I'd like to see what any of you think, as well as what you think may happen. So just drop a review and let me know and as always dare to Be Silly.**


	8. Chapter 7: Rest Your Head,Sweet Princess

**DISCLAIMER: I own nothing to do with this story save for plot lines or OCs and this holds for all of it, so don't ask me again.**

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Chapter 7

Rest Your Head, Sweet Princess

Terra was standing on the bridge surveying as best he could the calmness of Destiny Islands upon which Gentai was currently at. He should have known all along and remembered that he had left a clue here regarding the desert so that he would not forget, but alas, how the memory fades with time. He heard the small clamor behind him as one of his men bowed to him.

"My Lord, the boy makes for Twilight Town on his Gummi Ship. We pursue?" he said almost eagerly, with a hint of lust for this pursuit. Terra cocked his head in the man's direction and without uttering a word whatsoever, he shook his head. But the man understood that he did not mean he would not pursue but rather he was not to pursue at this moment.

"We wait for him to be slightly on his way. He still does not know we are following him." Terra then whipped around and began to make his way off the bridge. "I shall be in my quarters. Inform me of our arrival when we get to Twilight Town…oh, and make sure the prisoners are kept healthy. We want something to bargain with should it come to it." His men saluted him and Terra left the bridge, strolling along the hallways. He was growing tired, so very tired from all of this. Was it beginning at last? Terra grimaced under his helmet. He would not go down like this. Xehanort still had to pay. He punched in a code at his room and the door slid open. He walked swiftly to the bed and lay down upon his armor still remaining on him. Then he drifted off slowly to sleep.

_The boy was frozen, falling, pieces of him shattering in the air. His Keyblade, his old remnant was gone and broken in two. The other of his companions caught the boy and looked at him with deep sadness in her eyes that wanted to scream out. He looked up and saw the man who reeked of darkness summoning a ball of dark energy in his hand that shot upwards to the sky and formed a moon in the shape of a great heart, whilst his apprentices stood beside him. He ripped off his helmet in rage as his eyes turned from their once beautiful blue sheen to a sickly yellow that engulfed his vision. He leapt into the air, his mighty Keyblade stretched out before him, screaming in a feral rage as he darted at the man in front of him, the man who had betrayed him._

_"Xehanort!" He screamed and he stabbed at the man with his Keyblade, darkness now glutting its shaft. The old man had no time to react and instead let his Keyblade, one with a Keychain upon it, fall to the ground. His apprentice next to him suddenly vanished into darkness. Then the old man chuckled. "You lied! You said the Keyblade Wars were over!" The old mans chuckle became a full laugh as he choked slightly._

_"You fool." the old man gasped out proudly, even in his quick and sudden defeat. To him, what happened now no longer mattered and it angered the man with the Keyblade further which he pointed out with his Keyblade, driving it in further. The old man chuckled as he began to fade. "This war…will never end…" He said evilly and then his body faded from existence under the sacred moon. The man with the Keyblade cursed and drove his Keyblade into the ground staring up at the heart shaped moon with hatred for his lamentable situation, it's light glinting in his now yellow eyes. He looked to his side and saw the other two companions he had with him, one of them cradling the other. He took his Keyblade out of the ground and climbed down from the rock edifice. He approached them, looking at his fallen companion's…no…his fallen friend's frozen and broken body, his female companion silently crying in anguish. _

_He placed a hand on her shoulder and she stopped crying for a moment to look up at him. But he could tell that as soon as she did, she wished she hadn't. For when she looked into his eyes and saw their new sheen, she gasped._

And Terra's eyes snapped open in his room. He moved around slightly on his bed, his head shaking so as to remove himself of what he just saw. He did not want to see, want to remember, or want to visualize anything more from his past. He just lay there on his bed, his chest heaving up and down. He raised a gloved hand in the pale and dim light that he kept in his quarters and looked at it. He felt the pain that still resonated there. But he pushed it aside quickly. He was stronger than all of that. He needed to finish his goal and rid the worlds, all the worlds, of Xehanort's filth. It would come soon. he just had to hold on a little longer. His heart was not given into darkness completely yet.

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In the brig aboard the _Unbirth_ Kairi and Riku were sitting in opposite corners of the room while they waited there. They were both sleeping, though it hadn't come easily to either of them. And still…they were both having dreams that none of them understood and what scared them most, was that it could be shadows of the future. Riku didn't stir, his legs straight in front of him, his eyes closed peacefully while he dreamed but the images in front of his head were swimming.

_He ran through the corridors of a castle as ancient as time itself. Sora, Kairi…even Gentai were nowhere to be seen and it worried him. Unlike most of the castles he had been to the walls were not white but a strange blue color. It was a bastion of remarkable design but Riku felt uneasy within it. It seemed as though small red eyes were staring at him from every direction. He entered a large room, an antechamber almost. There was a strange symbol on the wall…but it still looked to be similar to the Heartless insignia. This room was remarkable, ten chairs surrounding him as he walked in, all on an upper level. But soon there was a bright light that filled the room. Riku shielded his eyes from the light, blinded by it and as he stepped forward he heard a voice that sounded familiar._

_"I didn't think you'd come Riku." the voice said in a very authoritative voice. Riku couldn't place the voice with a face or a name and tried to look at who it was through the ebbing light._

But before he could see who it was there was a scream coming from the brig, in the opposite corner. Riku's eyes snapped open quickly and he saw Kairi moaning in the corner and thrashing in her sleep, sweat beading quickly down her face as she struggled to wake but remain trapped by her world of dreams. Riku quickly leapt up and shook Kairi roughly while calling her name in an attempt to wake her. It didn't work so he would up and slapped her with the back of his hand and Kairi woke from her trance. She was breathing heavily as he sat down next to her and held her shoulder to make sure she was okay. Kairi looked at him and smiled like a little sister scared by the storm outside and is comforted by her older brother.

"What happened?" Riku asked, concerned for what just happened with Kairi. She was still panting but managed to get herself under control before she buried her face in her hands.

"It was terrible Riku…everything was gone. Just obliterated." Kairi said as quickly as though she wanted to get the image out of her head as quickly as possible.

"You mean like all the worlds were gone…like what Terra wants?" Riku asked, interested, concerned, and slightly freaked out at the same point. Kairi shook her head vigorously.

"Worse…" Riku looked at her with a shocked expression at the suggestion of something worse. She heaved a great sigh and her whole body shook. "The worlds were all still there…but there wasn't anything left. The islands were gone, there were dead bodies and bones everywhere…and creatures with red eyes crawling around, gnawing on the bones and sucking on a thick mist in the air. The creatures were terrible and I couldn't remember feeling angrier in my life. But there was no living purpose in sight…just those creatures…even the paopu tree was gone." Kairi just started shivering with fear at the possibility of such a dream. Riku just hugged her and held her.

"Then we both have something in common: red eyes were in my dream…though I didn't see any strange creatures…and no destruction either." Kairi looked at him with shock and he just chuckled. "Besides, it was just a dream, right?" Kairi nodded, even though she had felt that the dream was quite, quite real. They just sat there in silence for a moment before the sealed door to the brig slid open and bright light flooded the dimply lit white room. A man entered, placing two trays of food down on the floor. He bowed to them and exited without saying a word. Riku got up and grabbed the two trays, bringing them over to Kairi. She smiled at him in thanks and the two began to eat. They felt it was safe, Terra wouldn't want them dead yet. If Gentai failed, they would have to succeed where he had not. It took them fifteen minutes to finish eating their food. Then the room fell to silence again.

Both of the Keyblade Masters in the room were dwelling on their respective drams. Riku kept playing his over in his head, and he kept remembering what Kairi had told him regarding hers. They had both seemed so frighteningly real to the participants of them. Kairi's was plain disturbing. What were these creatures with red eyes? They weren't Heartless, and they weren't Nobodies…so what were they? But more important to Riku was what the castle he had been in was. It was not like any castle he had been in before and it was so vastly different. What did the ten chairs represent, and why were there red eyes in the empty castle. And who did that voice belong to? Then Riku thought about the heart symbol and realized that it was the same exact symbol that Terra and his crew wore. He mused on this for a moment but decided it was inconsequential for his current situation. Then, suddenly, Kairi started crying next to him.

"Hey, hey, what's wrong?" Riku asked, hugging her again like a big brother while stroking her auburn hair. The tears were falling quickly down her face and her body was racked with the sobs.

"It was so real to me Riku…I felt so alone. Nobody was there…and what if Sora…" she trailed off at the end of this sentence and couldn't finish it. Riku couldn't blame her…she didn't need to. He just kept stroking her hair affectionately, trying to comfort her. Before long the sobs began to cease and Kairi turned her head to look at him. "Tell me a story."

"Huh?" Riku asked in shock at such a request. It was Sora who was the one always telling stories, not him.

"Tell me a story. You know, one that Sora couldn't tell me." Riku just looked at her for a moment before pushing his silver hair out of his face and sighing and nodding. Kairi just closed her eyes and leaned against him.

"Once…there was a man named Ansem, your father. He was king of Radiant Garden and dedicated his life to protecting the people and his family. But he was also ambitious. He experimented with the heart though he knew it was wrong. Then, one day a young king came to visit him, asking him to stop the experiments. Ansem obliged but the experiments themselves were not stopped and soon everything was taken away from him. He wandered in the darkness for nine trackless years, lamenting his loss and thirsting for revenge. It consumed him and his entire being, but he refused to stop until he saw it completed. From there, the darkness in his heart was created…like all men, darkness lies deep within our hearts. He once found me, in Castle Oblivion. I left with the King but when I felt the darkness in heart eating away at me I left and ran into him. He was so consumed with revenge he forgot everything except for what his heart was set on. He only once mentioned the family that he loved and lost. It hurt him but we all have a speck of light within our hearts and that speck shined through his darkest despair and he proved himself above revenge. That is why he sacrificed himself for the grater good of the world. True he was prejudiced and pride among other fallible things but he did what he thought best…and I'm sure that as your father he would have been proud of you." Riku smiled at this last statement and looked at Kairi who was now sleeping peacefully on his shoulder. He stroked her hair again.

"Rest your head, sweet princess." He sighed out as he watched his friend sleep. "Your prince is coming soon. He promised he'd come back to you. He promised he'd take care of you." And Riku fell into his own peaceful sleep without dreams on the ship as they waited to see what would happen.

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**Author's Note: Well there you have it. We're almost halfway through the story now and I'm sure this chapter answered and raised some questions. Whether I'll answer them all or not may eventually be up to you to decide. So in the meantime hit that review button and review away. The next chapter probably won't come till after the weekend but I'm hoping to put the next two up as things are beginning to heat up. And a thanks to Reapergal08 and M.Z. Hamma for favoriting though I would like reviews. And once again thanks to Marine is hope2, for being my one loyal reviewer. Until next time, Dare to Be Silly.**


	9. Chapter 8: Pale Twilight

**DISCLAIMER: I own nothing to do with this story save for plot lines or OCs and this holds for all of it, so don't ask me again.**

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Chapter 8

Pale Twilight

When Demora came aboard the Gummi Ship she was freaking out, in a good way, mark you, but still she had been freaking out. Granted, she had never been on a Gummi Ship before and so this was like a whole new world to her…pretty much literally. It took Gentai poking and prodding her along and almost a good hour before she finally settled down to take a seat and get ready to fly to Twilight Town. Gentai activated the navigational system and scanned along the world map on the screen, looking for the tiny charted speck that he had been to labled Twilight Town. He found it with little trouble and clicked on it, indicating the Gummi Ship was to go there.

Then he sat back and kicked it when the Gummi Ship was set on overdrive. He wanted to just get some sleep after going through all this stuff since he was extremely tired. But Demora wouldn't have it. Not by a long shot. She questioned, interrogated, and even pestered him for hours on end with an endless supply and arsenal of questions regarding to himself: his personality, his hobbies, his likes, his dislikes and all Gentai could help thinking during this time was _If this girl likes me she's going through real extreme efforts here_. He just chortled at the thought of this but Demora heard it and stopped.

"Sorry. I didn't realize I was rambling on so much." She said, shutting up promptly but Gentai just shook his head, rubbed his eyes, and yawned. Demora glanced at him sideways but then turned her full body to face him. "Well, aren't you going to ask me any questions about myself?" Gentai turned to look at her with an absentminded look on his face and she just gave a small pout.

"I'm sorry. I'm just really tired, that's all. I've gone through way too much these past few days and just having an endless stream of questions regarding myself being shot at me is wearing me out." Demora hung her head in apology but Gentai just waved his hand, brushing it off.

"Well, what would you want to talk about?" Demora asked. "I mean, you've been to so many other worlds…tell me about them." she said to him. Gentai brightened up at this slightly. He had never really had the chance to tell anyone about his adventures before so he sat up slightly.

"Hmmm…I guess I'll list the worlds for you and tell you my top three favorite ones." He cricked his neck a bit and began to talk. "Well, there was Kuzcotopia which was one of the strangest places I've been to. That was where I first met Zexion. The Land of Dragons was kind of cool though a little too old-fashioned for me. We were able to stop by Disney Castle but it seemed that the King wasn't home…something having to do with Sora…" Gentai sat there and mused on this for a moment. It could have had to do with the fact that Sora had been captured. But Demora clearing her throat brought him back. "Right…umm…Radiant Garden, Twilight Town, Atlantis, Atlantica, the Pride Lands, Monster World, a brief pit stop by what was called Beast's Castle, Wonderland, Deep Jungle, Traverse Town, Neverland, Hawaiian Islands."

"Wow…" Demora gaped, shocked at the number of worlds that there were. "Okay, so what were your three favorite."

"Well, there was Agrabah. That was interesting cause I was separated from my mentor at the time so I kind of was able to rely on my own skills. Not to mention I figured out that I could start using the memories I got from sealing the Keyholes to my advantage there. Olympus Coliseum was another favorite. Heh, Phil gave me the title of Junior Hero there, just like Sora. I was able to help Hercules restore his strength from a deal he made with Hades and defeat the Titans. Zeus offered to make me a hero but I declined. I know, I know. But Hikaru never chided me on it." He had said this hastily in defense of his choice as Demora stared incredulously. "But one of the coolest worlds was Port Royal! That was the first world I went to with both Riku and Kairi. It was filled with pirates you see, and Captain jack was awesome…reminded me a bit of myself. But we took on Davy Jones there! He was working for Maleficent but when a guy named Cutler Beckett got control of Davy Jones' heart, Zexion gained control over him. So Maleficent joined forces with us and we fought a major war on the seas. Eventually I helped Jack and Will defeat Davy Jones in a giant maelstrom battle…but it came at a price." Gentai shook his head in sadness and shame.

"What price?" asked Demora interestedly. Gentai looked at her.

"Will had to cut out his heart and become captain of the _Flying Dutchman_." Demora gasped loudly. "It seems bad but he was able to live forever. I sealed his heart away after that…of course, it was soon after that we fought Zexion for the last time." Demora regained her bearings and looked at Gentai, another question forming on her lips.

"Okay, last question, what about the world we're going to now?" Demora said, wanting to be fully prepared before they entered the world.

"Twilight Town? Nothing really special. It's just like your usual town only split up into two areas: Market Street and Sunset Terrace. In other words, business and residential. Not to mention there's this old mansion on the outskirts of town. Scary man, I got attacked by Nobodies there once. But wait till you see the clock tower. It is awesome!" He said with a huge smile of glee on his face, despite his current situation. "We'll be landing in Central Station soon so get ready."

After a few more minutes of waiting, chimes on the Gummi Ship went off, alerting the companions to their arrival at Twilight Town. Gentai quickly stepped over to the beaming area, and brought Demora with him. They stood on the beaming pads and Gentai activated the device which sent both him and Demora down to Central Station. Unfortunately, Demora wasn't really used to the whole beaming down to a world process. And so, when they landed Demora teetered quite a bit and soon fell onto the nearest thing: which just so happened to be Gentai. Ironically, the way she fell was that her face seemed to fall onto Gentai's face…or rather lips upon lips. She immediately noticed this and got up flustered and stuttering. She looked at Gentai embarrassedly but Gentai seemed to either not have noticed or was kind enough not to mention anything. He just smiled at her and began to walk out of the station.

Demora followed quickly, brushing the hair that had come out of her ponytail out of her face. When she stepped outside she saw a beautiful sunset and was awed at the appearance. There were clouds drifting lazily through the sky. Then Gentai tapped her on the shoulder and pointed up and behind her. She twisted around and saw the giant monolith of a clock tower. It stood at least a thousand feet high, made of beautiful marble. There were different things that regulated the clock and were absolutely beautiful. Further up was a red roof-like thing and on both sides of the jutting monstrosity were to beautiful bells. She smiled at the warm glow that was on it before Gentai, without warning, took her hand and started running away from the station.

"Where are we going now?" Demora asked, slightly out of breath at the sights around her.

"We need to find that desert and seeing as how that note mentioned this place…I can think of only three people to ask that can help us out efficiently and easily." He ran down Station Heights, Demora's hand still in his but made a sharp right turn into a lone ally and soon stepped near a high black, chain fence where a curtain separated them from the other side. Gentai let go off Demora's hand and looked at her. "Time for you to meet some other off-worlders." Then he strode in, Demora following shyly behind him. As he entered in, he immediately saw the three people he was looking for and he chuckled to himself. Despite being adults, and having jobs, they still found the time to hang out here. Of course, for Pence it was easy, he thought, he was the head of the Sea Salt Ice Cream Corporation here in Twilight Town. The three young adults heard this chuckle and broke out of their conversation to turn and face the source of it. Hayner's face lit up in jubilation.

"Gentai! You're back man!" Hayner said, jumping up and grabbing Gentai's hand, shaking it vigorously. Gentai's smile stretched further. No matter how much older these guys were than him, they treated him like one of them. "What are you doing?"

"I need your help guys. Umm…how do I put this?" Gentai said, trying to figure out how to break the news to them. But Olette took up the failure in Gentai's voice.

"It's about Sora isn't it?" He snapped a look to her and she smiled, a small fire shining in her green eyes. "We all felt it, when he died. We all know that he died. Is that why you're here?" Gentai nodded before Pence spoke up.  
"Who's this?" Pence asked, motioning to Demora behind Gentai. "And where's Hikaru?"

"Gosh, you guys ask so many questions…let's see, Hikaru is dead and this is my friend Demora. She's from Destiny Islands." Gentai answered simply.

"Another islander huh? Is she like, your girlfriend, or something?" Hayner asked, slightly inconsiderately, as was usual of him. The two teens blushed a bit and started pulling out any and all forms of denial as Olette rounded on Hayner.

"Hayner, you know not to say things like that! It's rude!" Olette yelled at him and he just backed down like an obedient puppy. Gentai laughed at this.

"So, we need to find a way to get to another world…a certain world which we have tips we can find through here; can you help us?" Gentai asked. They looked at him for a moment silently before Pence answered the question.

"Well, a few years ago Sora and the others did come here looking for the same kind of thing in case their gummi ship failed. They did something to the computer in the Old Mansion. The data might be lost now, but if I can get to it I might be able to figure out what they did and be able to get you there." Pence sighed out. "I mean, if the tip you received was good then we should be able to easily get in and out and get you there." Gentai nodded at him and Hayner jumped into the air.

"Then let's go!" And he went running out of the Usual Spot, everybody else following along behind him. The run through Twilight Town didn't take too long and soon they had reached the Old Mansion. The front doors were locked but Gentai took care of that with a single beam of the Keyblade and soon they were in. The Twilight Town gang seemed to remember where the computer was and so they took the lead leaving Gentai to lead Demora along as she looked around at the structure of the mansion. Soon they had reached the computer room and Pence sat down in the computer chair. The computer had been turned off and so Pence had to turn it on and then began looking around on it. After about five minutes, Pence turned around and sighed.

"Gentai, this might take longer than I thought." Pence told him and Gentai just shrugged in acceptance.

"All right, that's fine. Demora seems to want to satisfy her curiosity, anyway." Demora shot Gentai a glare. "So I'll go upstairs and have a look around…hopefully I won't get attacked by Nobodies this time." So he gestured towards Demora and the two headed upstairs into the now deformed library, leaving the trio to work on their project. Gentai gave Demora time to examine every aspect of the room while he himself scrutinized in a bit more detail. Last time, he had been attacked before he had the chance to do anything. He walked up the steps and started examining the book case there. He brushed his hand along row of dust that was settled there. It was extremely thick, as though it hadn't been touched in ages. He bent down to examine the bookcase a bit more. On many of the books there was humongous pile of dust but on one certain book there seemed to be much less dust than the others, as though it had been read at least within the last decade. What intrigued Gentai more was the crown symbol that was emblazoned upon it. So curiosity got the better of him and he picked it up to read.

The pages were old, at least twenty years old. There was much text that Gentai didn't feel like reading but as he looked through he found different pictures beginning to pop up. There were heart symbols and crown symbols. Gentai stopped for a moment to read a caption below the crown symbol. It read:

_The crown pendant, a symbol for those Keyblade Masters who were the warriors of light and solely used their power to defend that realm. Such men and women were known as the Chasers._

Gentai looked up from the text. Now it intrigued him that such a mention of the Keyblade Masters would be stated here. He thumbed through the text, eager to learn more until at last he found a page that had a chapter title on it: The Forging of the Keyblades and the Purpose of the Keychains. To this, he sat down on the floor to read. Clearly Ansem had been fascinated in the history of the Keyblade and Gentai was determined to find out about what it could all mean for him, so he read.

_The Keyblade was once the weapon of greater men, of warriors and kings. Often the Keyblade would pass down the line of men in a household. It was crafted of light and darkness but was made to serve only those which had light in their hearts. For many a time, men truly had no darkness in their hearts and fought only to claim lands and worlds in the thought of protecting their people. But eventually that lust for power drove men to turn to darkness and those who used the Keyblade were no longer qualified to wield them. Thus for centuries the Keyblades became non existent until three Keyblade masters whose names were not known for a very long time, came forth bearing the Keyblades. Together they formed the Round of the Crown and began an order of Keyblade Masters that ensured justice and stability in the worlds._

_Windsor, Gairon, and Oceana, the three Keyblade Masters who began the order began the art again of forging the Keyblade Masters. However, they sought out those who could wield it to know who they should forge it for. Based on this knowledge they could forge the Keyblade based on a person's heart. For many years this order survived and passed on until darkness once more became prevalent. The problem was that even though the darkness was on the outside, it changed those hearts who were in the order. Thus the Keyblade Masters were split in twain. On one side were the chasers and on the other side there were those who began calling forth entities known as the Unbirths. However this caused great unrest as men could no longer wield their Keyblades effectively. Nay, they did not pass to another wielder but rather because a person's heart had changed and the Keyblade was crafted on that person's heart they could no longer wield it as they once did._

_And as the order fell into despair a man by the name of Xehanort came forth with a suggestion: that the Keyblades should be alterable to reflect the nature of a man's heart. The Order refused and so he sought to change it on his own, successfully forging the Keychains as we know them and spurning the order in the meantime. In his words, the Keychains were a mastery of art so that the Keyblade could change shape to fit the heart of its wielder at that time and to keep its friends close to their heart. It is unknown what happened to him after he forged the Keychains. But thus it was that Keyblades began to be forged along with Keychains as the reflection of the wielder's heart._

Gentai looked up from the book and saw Demora walking up the stairs towards him. So the keychain in that symbol was a reflection of what the true nature of his heart was. It seemed almost unbelievable and yet at the same time it all made sense. Demora stopped in front of him and he stood up.

"What'cha lookin' at?" Demora asked but Gentai shrugged and put the book back before feeling his crown pendant. He turned to face Demora.

"Nothin'. Just a book I spotted." Gentai told her and was about to say more but he stopped. he got another bad feeling, as though something was coming closer and it wasn't good. He already felt his Keyblade tingling on edge of his fingers and then.

"Gentai!" yelled the voice of Demora a there was a flash of steel in front of her. Gentai whipped around in time to see a Nobody disappear. Gentai's face looked at Demora to find her holding a katana in front of her that she had hidden so well before. "I told you I could fight!" Gentai smiled and nodded but he knew it wasn't over yet. To prove that he was right, suddenly more Nobodies appeared in the air surrounding them. Gentai just summoned his Keyblade without a second thought as Demora got into a defensive stance. The Nobodies then leapt at the pair.

Gentai twisted around and cut a wide swath around them, eliminating a number of Nobodies. Demora herself twisted around and felt her thin blade actually slice through and destroy the Nobodies. Gentai smirked at this…odd that she was using the same weapon as that of his former mentor. But Gentai had no time to think and as a Dragoon came whizzing through the air he flipped through the air and brought his Keyblade crashing down on it. He motioned for Demora to get closer to him and she obeyed, then as all the Nobodies came coursing in, Gentai focused himself on the power of fire.

"BLAZE!!" Gentai yelled and a huge column of magical fire surrounded him and Demora, burning away many of the Nobodies. When the flames faded, Gentai saw no Nobodies in sight, but he knew they'd be back. He turned to Demora. "Demora, get down there and tell Pence to hurry it up, and don't worry about me, there'll be more but I'll take care of them." Demora just nodded and left down the stairs without another word as more Nobodies appeared. Gentai jumped back a little bit nearer to the staircase and imagined a surge of ice flowing through his mind. "FREEZE!!" He yelled and a huge chunk of ice fired at the nearest Dusk, destroying it. But still more followed after. Gentai raised his Keyblade to the air and bolts of lighting came down from the sky followed by Gentai focusing his will upon a crashing wave and sending it over the Nobodies. For the most part, many were damaged by it but still some survived and backed him away from the stairs and towards the door. He grimaced at his current predicament.

"I don't have time for this." he uttered softly. He backed towards the edge, knowing full well it was going to end soon. The Nobodies sensed this as well and leapt at him. Gentai took this moment to fall gracefully from the ledge and sweep his Keyblade under his legs, slicing through the Nobodies pursuing him. he landed gracefully as well and made a quick dash into the computer room. Demora was yelling at pence to hurry up and Pence was typing on the keyboard of the computer with a fury. "How's it going?!"

"I've found Sora's path that he and the others took upon using this computer so I just have to follow it and I should be able to find what we're looking for."

"So we can access the other world now?" Gentai asked hopefully but upon Pence's response was crestfallen.

"No, not yet."

"Pence!" Gentai yelled. "We need it now! There are Nobodies baring down on us faster than you're typing!" And as if to emphasize his point Demora lashed out behind him and struck a Nobody who was ambling towards them. Demora then started beating back Nobodies in the doorway. Gentai stood there watching her for a moment before she turned to him with a slightly angry look on her face.

"Well, are you going to fight or what?!" Demora yelled and Gentai gave a laugh before he charged into battle and began swinging away at the Nobodies gathered in the door. Gentai happened to throw a glance to Hayner who shrugged and apologized for not fighting because they had no weapons on their hands. Then Pence gasped.

"What is it?!" Hayner asked worriedly.

"I think I typed something in wrong." Pence said, almost biting his nails.

"Pence! They're relying on us!" Olette screamed exasperatedly.

"Well, you're the reliable one!" Pence said in defense of himself. Then he examined his work so far and heaved a sigh of relief. "Never mind, we're good so far."

"HURRY UP PENCE!!!" both Gentai and Demora yelled in frustration as they continued to fight the Nobodies that were coming straight at them. Pence typed frantically on the keyboard and before long he roared in triumph.

"All right, what did you say you were looking for? What kind of world?" Pence asked with the screen shining brilliantly in front of him.

"A desert." Gentai said as he twirled around and hacked through yet another Nobody. Pence typed some words in and the computer searched but came up with nothing.

"Nope, nothing. There's Agrabah but nothing other than that." pence told him and Gentai cried out in anger.

"That's _definitely_ not it. It has to be there somewhere." Gentai said out loud as he used another water spell to break past the next legion of Nobodies. Then it hit him. "Sunset Horizons. Try Sunset Horizons." Pence typed in the name and sure enough a selection popped up.

"Yeah. here it is!" He pushed another key and a beam of light shot down, signaling the way to the desert at last. Gentai motioned to Demora to head over to the beam of light. Demora obeyed and Gentai succeeded in pushing the last Nobody out the door. He then raised his Keyblade into the air and pointed it at the door, a shot of light firing creating a shield between them and the Nobodies. The Nobodies tried to break through it, but for now Gentai was too strong for the.

"That barrier will probably disappear once we leave this world or else it will kill me. But the Nobodies will probably leave once were gone…or I'm gone, since I'm probably their main target." Gentai said, quickly running next to Demora near the beam of light.

"It's all right. We'll hold down the fort here!" Hayner said, giving Gentai a thumbs up.

"Go bring Sora back!" Olette said cheerily. Gentai nodded his head at them and motioned for Pence to flick the switch. But before pence was able to, Gentai turned to Demora.

"I think I found a name for my Keyblade." Gentai said confidently. Demora turned to him expectantly.

"And what is it?" Demora asked him. Gentai at last dismissed his Keyblade and smiled.

"Pale Twilight." Then Pence flicked the switch and the two were sent away from that world in a dazzling display of light.

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**Author's Note: So I lied, but we're not worse for the wear. However I am only adding once chapter and Chapter 9 probably won't be up until Monday but in any case. I hope you enjoyed that much longer chapter with a little fighting and a little speculative history behind the Keyblade Masters and the Keychains seeing as if you watch the secret video you'll see that most of the Keyblades except for those three in the ground as well as Master Xehanort's don't have Keychains. But these are just my thoughts long before the game comes out. Up next will come the arrival to Sunset Horizons and the beginning of the climax of this piece which seems to be updating rather quickly for me. Oh well, speculate what will happen until next time, please PLEASE review!!! And remember, Dare to Be Silly.**


	10. Chapter 9: Sunset Horizons

**DISCLAIMER: I own nothing to do with this story save for plot lines or OCs and this holds for all of it, so don't ask me again.**

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Chapter 9

Sunset Horizons

Gentai felt the arid and warm wind wrap around him before the computer had even been able to fully form him in the area. Instantly, upon his feet touching the warm dry sand and rock he knew he was in the right place. He looked to his left and saw that Demora was standing there as well, looking around the desert. But she wasn't looking around like she had looked at Twilight Town but seemed to look around with a sad and almost melancholy look. Gentai turned to her and smiled.

"Hey, you know, for a girl you fought pretty good back there." Gentai said and she turned to him and whacked him playfully across the arm.

"'For a girl?!'" she cried incredulously but Gentai only smiled warmly at her and she couldn't help but smile back before she turned away. Gentai gave a befuddled look but soon Demora had turned back to him. "So…umm…I don't see anything, what exactly are we looking for?"

"I think that Terra said something about a whole expanse that was filled with Keyblades…that's all I remember so that's what we're going for." Gentai said, shrugging his shoulders. Demora simply nodded, not noting that she supposedly didn't know who Terra was. So the two began to trek through the desert, sand filtering into their shoes and annoying them to no end. Every ten minutes, Gentai would use a Magnet spell to remove the sand from their shoes. Gentai was just thankful there wasn't a sandstorm going on at the moment. It seemed they had been traveling for ages when Demora finally collapsed on her legs.

"I can't go on…keep moving Gentai…" Demora said, trying to breathe in through both her nose and mouth but still not getting enough breath in to sustain her. Gentai just bent down and hooked an arm right under Demora and pulled her up.

"Don't give up yet. We're almost there." Gentai said, smiling at her. He had certainly taken to this girl. She was pretty, kind of smart, she was great at fighting and she was kind to him. That was all Gentai really needed. Even if they couldn't be together, it was enough to be with her now. So he picked her up and helped her along.

"But there's nothing in sight…" Demora complained as Gentai started dragging her along the sandy expanse. Gentai chuckled and used his slightly free hand to point ahead.

"Look on the horizon there, don't you see all the shadows there?" Gentai said to her and she nodded, now seeing black shapes appearing on the horizon. So she stopped grumbling and merely allowed Gentai to take her along. It only took roughly fifteen minutes to reach the shadows and soon Gentai saw what he would claim to be one of the most remarkable things of his life: a wide and broad expanse of Keyblades all stuck in the ground. A large number of them had no Keychains on them seeming to be Keyblades of old, if what Gentai had read was true. It seemed to be like a crossroads of Keyblades, though admittedly some of them were just scattered everywhere like they had once been used in a great battle and therefore had been scattered. But what mattered to Gentai most was the Keyblade lying in the middle of all those Keyblades surrounding it. The Keyblade was dusty and grimy with dirt and sand, but Gentai could identify it anywhere, even stuck in the ground. There was a yellow hilt and handle, more or less golden, with a silver shaft leading down to the blade that Gentai knew was stuck in the ground. And hanging slightly from the top was a Keychain that was silver and attached at the end of it was the symbol of a mouse's head, or more specifically, the symbol of Disney Castle.

It was Sora's Keyblade at last. All he had to do now was free Sora from it and help get Riku and Kairi back. He walked forward and was soon very close to the Keyblade, still supporting Demora as she stared at the Keyblade with wide eyes herself.

"Is that…?" she asked so quiet that it almost blended into the wind. But Gentai heard her and nodded. He let go for a moment and Demora wavered on her feet. So Gentai steadied her and summoned his Keyblade out, pointing it at her.

"Usually this only helps to heal wounds, but I think it should work the same to restore your energy." He focused his energy into the simple notion of healing and muttered the phrase out from under his breath. "Cure." A small green flower appeared over Demora's head and sprinkled her with something. Demora instantly felt as though her energy was restored. She looked at Gentai, whose feet fidgeted a bit to show the small amount of stress casting the spell had strained on him, but other than that he was fine. Then he turned back to face the Keyblade and mused about how to free Sora's heart. He figured that he's just unlock it like he would any other door with the Keyblade. So he pointed it at the Keyblade when suddenly he heard a number of footsteps coming from behind him and a deep, gruff, and familiar voice breathe out "Fascinating…" Gentai whipped around and saw Terra standing there plain as day. Slightly behind him, constrained by four guards were both Riku and Kairi.

"You…" Gentai growled out. "How did you get here?! You promised you wouldn't be following me!" Terra turned to him, the cold armor on his face boring into Gentai like the darkest set of eyes could do.

"And you actually believed me." Terra scoffed, expressing his humor at the fact that this young child believed his word. "I had every intention of following you here and seeing this momentous occasion for myself."

"Look, I don't care that you're here! How did you get here?" Gentai yelled and he saw both Riku and Kairi looking at the girl next to him as she shuffled away from him to stand next to Terra. When Gentai saw this small scene unfold before him his mouth nearly dropped open and his knees nearly gave out. It was her! Of all people, the kind, sweet Demora who he had grown to trust, had grown to love even in that small time space that he had known her. She was the one who had betrayed him? She couldn't have been! He had never done anything to her so why…

"I'm sorry, Gentai, I had to. I had no choice." Demora stated meekly before him. His look of disbelief however, soon turned into one of rage.

"Everyone has a choice!" he spat at her and she quailed under his glowering look. "You stole my friendship only to betray it. Tell me, what was the price he bought you at!"

"Oh be quiet boy. We had every intention of her being the one to betray you." Terra said.

"How did you even know her?!" Gentai asked.

"Do you think I did not have my own spies stationed on these islands and these worlds, hiding their own Gummi Ships all these years? They were stationed strategically to inform me of anything I could use to my advantage. When we arrived back in this area of space, and as we began to follow you, more and more subordinates of mine returned. The rest are all massing at Radiant Garden, prepared to make that place the area where the hammer will fall hardest." Gentai glared at him with much force that any normal person, had they not been Terra, would have fled in fear. "My spies saw you and this girl and so we took a drastic move."

"Gentai, you have to understand!" Demora yelled while not looking at him, afraid to see his hurt and angry eyes. "They took my parents, he was going to kill them if I didn't do it. I couldn't hurt my parents. I'm so sorry!!"

"Oh, she's sorry!" Terra yelled out in absolute, cruel mirth. "It's a little late to grow a conscience you witch!" Demora recoiled as though Terra had slapped her before steeling herself and glaring right at him.

"I am no witch! We did this on the terms that you would not harm my parents! Now let them go free!" Demora yelled and Terra shook his head in what seemed to be the most enjoyable laughter he'd had in a long time. He marveled at the naivety of this child.

"My dear child, your parents are dead! We killed them the moment they stepped on board our ship." Demora shook and nearly collapsed, the only thing that she had been doing this for now taken from her life.

"So I really am an orphan…" she breathed out, almost ready to collapse. Gentai faced Terra himself, his Keyblade pointing straight at the man's heart.

"What Demora did was wrong, but what you did was pure evil and madness!" Gentai yelled in rage unlike any other. "Come on Terra, come back to the light. You can come back, you're not steeped so far in darkness yet. Isn't there someone in there who you can see your light from?! Don't you want to see again?!" But before he was able to say anything more, Terra had summoned his Keyblade and held it at Gentai's throat.

"SILENCE!!!" He roared in ire. "All was stripped from me. Only my burning desire to strip the world of Xehanort's darkness remains. And now, I can at last do it again." Gentai lowered his Keyblade and stared at the threatening man before him. "Now…free his heart."

"And should I refuse?" Gentai asked defiantly and Terra chuckled a low and menacing chuckle.

"I have two other Keyblade Masters who will suffice for completing the job. So I could just dispose of you." Terra laughed a cold and cruel laugh and it was really starting to get on Gentai's nerves that he was laughing so much at this point. Gentai looked to both Riku and Kairi who, for the first time, had their eyes widened in fear. Then Riku nodded.

"Just do it Gentai. It's not worth it." Riku then looked down at his feet as Gentai turned towards Sora's Keyblade once more, holding his Keyblade aloft and pointing it at Sora's. He took in a deep breath and then focused his will into the blade in order to release Sora's heart. He focused with all of his thoughts and his heart into setting that one heart free. But the more he focused, the more he found that he couldn't do it. No beam of light came from the Keyblade to hit Sora's and after a few moments, Terra was beginning to lose his patience.

"RELEASE HIS HEART BOY!!!" Terra yelled as sweat began to form on Gentai's face and his temples and blood veins began to bulge. He gasped out some air.

"I can't!" Gentai yelled, explaining the difficulty he was having in freeing Sora.

"Can't or won't?" Terra said, bring his Keyblade to bear.

"The Keyblade can't free his heart!" Gentai yelled. Then he heard noise behind him as Kairi broke away from the guards and began to run towards either because she sensed his discomfort or for another reason. Terra also saw this and waved his hand lazily as he replied to the outburst calmly:

"Restrain her." The men held fast to her as they caught her again quickly. She struggled against them, and though it seemed she was about to break physically, her will was as set as stone.

"Sora…" she cried out as she restrained against her captors.

"Silence!" said one of the guards restraining her and they slapped her across the face.

"Hey!" Riku yelled, trying to break free of his own guards. Terra turned to face them and seemed to shake his head in utter disapproval, clucking his tongue.

"Can you Keyblade Masters never behave?!" Terra said and he saw Kairi nearly being able to break free of the others. "I told you to restrain her!"

"Let her go!" Riku snapped and Terra faced him. He cocked his head as if to ask the question of why they should let her go. "Her heart holds a connection to Sora! There was one time that her heart had migrated within his. If you let her go, she'll be able to bring him back." Terra nodded slowly.

"Fascinating…but a topic for another day, let her go." Terra told his men and their hands snapped off Kairi as she ran forward to the Keyblade that was stuck in the ground. "You had best not be lying…" Then Terra turned back to face the others. Kairi was kneeling down in the sand next to Sora's Keyblade, her hands running over it, almost as though it was Sora in the flesh.

"Sora…are you really in there…?" Kairi asked as tears began falling down her face. Suddenly, Gentai felt an unbidden rush of energy flare up inside of him. "Please come back…" The tear fell from her face and touched the Keyblade she was holding onto as a bright beam of light shot from Gentai's Keyblade and hit Sora's square on. The area was illuminated with light everywhere but that was not what Gentai saw. All he saw instead were the final memories he could never have seen.

_"What happened to my home?! My island?! Riku! Kairi!" a much younger Sora said, sitting on a bed in a green room. Suddenly that melted into yet another image of Sora in a world where there was a treehouse._

_"Friends." said an older man with long brown hair._

_"Yeah, my friends! The loud one's Dona-You know what, never mind. I'm looking for my friends Riku and Kairi." And that melted once more._

_"He may not have a heart, but at least he still has a conscience! And right now it's ringing loud and clear and it's telling me you're on the wrong side!" Sora yelled at Riku inside a giant whales mighty belly. Then more streams hit him._

_"I guess I never really gave her gift after all." Sora said to his companions._

_"Aw, I bet Kairi would like most anything you gave her." Goofy told him happily._

_"I know, that's what made it so hard to decide!" Then one last image entered into his head, along with many others before the images faded._

_"Those worlds will be restored if we beat Ansem right? But if we do beat him and all these worlds become restored and disconnected, what will happen to this place, and to us?" Sora said before he was facing Kairi who was on a patch of swirling sand._

_"Kairi!" He yelled as he ran to her._

_"Sora!" Kairi yelled back when suddenly she rocked forward and Sora caught her hand._

_"Kairi! Remember what you said before? I'm always with you too! I'll come back to you, I promise!" he yelled to her as they began creating their bond once more that would bring them together again._

_"I know you will!" And the vision ended._

Gentai reeled for a few moments as he regained his senses and the light began to recede from everyone's pupils. As Gentai squinted ahead he noticed that Sora was standing there hugging Kairi and Kairi was hugging him back.

"Kairi…" he said and she smiled and hugged him tighter. Gentai's knees then gave out and he gave a mighty gasp as he collapsed onto the sand. He managed to keep his head from hitting the ground before he heard Sora's voice call to him as he and Kairi separated. "You okay?"

"I guess it took a bit more to free you than expected." Gentai said, standing up. He smiled at Sora who smiled a great cheesy smile back at him and Gentai almost wanted to laugh once more at his gravity-defying hair. But he turned around at the sound of one of Terra's footsteps.

"Sora…at last." he said and Sora just looked at him with a confused expression.

"And, who might you be?" Sora asked as Terra extended a hand.

"Terra. It was by my orders that this boy cam to free you." Sora looked at the hand but refused to take it. Gentai then piped up.

"I hardly think that you ordered me, more like forced me." Gentai said with the utmost disdain.

"Curb your tongue you impudent boy!" Terra said to Gentai before speaking directly to Sora. "I am sure you are wondering what my purpose here is. You see, Sora, I have formed an army which I will use to take the worlds by storm and destroy Xehanort's influence on them. I am going to eradicate them and for once we can start anew. But to do that I need a captain to lead my troops." Sora stared at Terra for a little bit.

"And have you ever thought that maybe I don't want to be your captain?" Sora said defiantly.

"I thought you might say that, but you see, you owe me a debt. I watched you for years so I think it is only right that you repay me now." Terra said, nodding his head at the newly restored Keyblade Master. Sora cocked his head at him.

"Debt or no debt, I don't know about, I don't owe you anything. I decline." Sora said stoutly and Kairi beamed at him. Terra seemed to scowl based on the movement of his head and he whipped around walking a few paces backwards. Then he raised his Keyblade high into the air and Sora stared at it, slightly in disbelief that there were others with Keyblades, but somehow thinking it made sense. A great beam of light formed on the tip of Terra's Keyblade and then released it into the sky, scattering into multiple beams that hit every single Keyblade in the field. There were more bright lights…Terra must have known all of those men to release their hearts, and as soon as the bright light faded, they were surrounded by an army of men with Keyblades.

Gentai looked around, wondering if he'd find Hikaru but to no avail. He knew Hikaru's time had been that moment. The Keyblade Masters that had appeared shook off the sand on their Keyblades and Terra laughed triumphantly. All of them turned to face him.

"Welcome my friends! Those of you who had fallen in the First Keyblade War, before your time had come, I welcome you back!" Terra couldn't help but grant him a smile under his helmet. "All of you know of the dark war that claimed all of this! And who was it that started that war? Xehanort! Now the worlds are filled with his stench. It is time the worlds be rid of it. Who will join me?" There was silence save for the wind rustling then a man dressed in the finest armor stepped forth.

"We will honor the call Lord Terra! To free the worlds." the man said and all of the Keyblade Masters agreed in rousing chorus.

"Are we the only ones here that are actually sane?!" Gentai yelled and Terra faced him.

"If that is what you believe. But for now, your part is over." Terra once more rose his Keyblade into the air and another beam of light shot out of it and encaged all three of Sora, Kairi, and Gentai. Riku tried to push forward but the guards kicked him the gut and he nearly collapsed from the weight of the armor pushing into him. "These two are my prisoners, they'll be coming with us." Gentai just ran forward at the bars of their cage of light and struck at them with the Keyblade but was flung back with unknown force and collapsed on the ground. There was no way out. And without a glance back, Terra walked away, the other Keyblade Masters following him and in a few seconds they were all gone to the Gummi Ship. Gentai just sat there and rocked his knees as Sora and Kairi ran up t him.

"It's all my fault…" he cried. They shook their heads.

"Nobody could have stopped this." Kairi said and Sora nodded in agreement.

"You did what was right by you, nobody could ask any more." But Gentai shook his head fiercely as he stood up, a look of rage contorting his face.

"No. I _will_ end this!" Gentai said and proceeded to beat against the bars. After a few hits he looked into the sky to see nothing there. Terra's ship had left at last. The war had begun.

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**Author's Note: Well, there it is, at last. Sora has finally returned only to be captured. Not to mention the war has started. What will happen to our heroes and how will Riku and Demora take to being captured. Stay tune next time to see what happens in the war. So drop a review and in the end always remember, Dare to Be Silly.**


	11. Chapter 10: This War Has Never Ended

**DISCLAIMER: I own nothing to do with this story save for plot lines or OCs and this holds for all of it, so don't ask me again.**

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Chapter 10

This War Has Never Ended

Leon looked at the sky in Radiant Garden later that afternoon. Everyone felt the burden on the world lift as the ship took off into the sky. They knew that the man was gone and they were relieved, other than the fact they knew Riku and Kairi were captured. They thought a number of their troubles were past…until Leon looked to the sky. It was no longer a pale pink and yellow shining but an ominous dark blue cloud rolling over the wide expanse. Leon saw this and looked with a slight smidgen of fear. He should have known it wasn't over; the war was never over. For them, he knew it was just beginning. So he ran. He ran from where he was, surveying the damage over the Dark Depths back to the Borough, fighting through Heartless, to get to Merlin's House where Cid was once more frantically dancing his fingers across the computer. Terra's computer hack had lasted only so long as they were in the area and Leon feared that the cloud meant he was return, their system problems with it.

"Cid, I need you to protect the system!" Leon yelled as he rushed in the room and the rest of the members of the committee looked at him. "I think they're coming back." They looked at him with confusion. They didn't question him especially when Terra's voice boomed out moments later. Luckily for them, their systems were not jammed.

"Hello residents of Radiant Garden once again!" the voice yelled into the air. "Yes, we have returned and we offer terms. Surrender your worlds and they will end swiftly. Choose to fight and we will destroy you all in battle. I am not going to wait for your answer as I know that all of you have this tendency to be as stubborn as a tenacious roach. That is why I know that you are all going to fight me. But I am not unreasonable." Leon scoffed at this statement.

"Sure, trying to destroy our worlds isn't unreasonable in the slightest." Leon said and Cid snickered behind him.

"I will give you one hour to mobilize your forces, including Gummi Ships, against my thousand Keyblade Masters." Leon mouthed in horror "Thousand Keyblade Masters?" There was no way they could stand a chance now. "I am also dictating here the location upon which we will meet: the Great maw and dark Depths. Only those areas are truly grand enough for a battle. You have one hour, beginning now." And the voice ceased to speak. The air was filled with a pregnant pause for a moment before Leon turned to the group.

"Get the army ready. Any man who can fight will take up arms! Cid, prepare the fleet." Leon said dictating orders as a number of them rushed off to fulfill Leon's orders. Cid laughed at Leon.

"To hell with preparing the fleet! I'm leadin' them!" Cid said as he cricked his neck with a smirk playing on his face. Leon chuckled. Leave it to Cid to not be left out in a fight in space. He clapped Cid on the shoulders and Cid flicked his toothpick across the room. "Tell the old loon to pick us up though on the ground."

"Old loon?!" Merlin cried in rage as Cid pelted out of the room. "Oh, I'll show you!" he was about to go after Cid but he remembered that he should in fact be doing something to help the effort of fighting.

"Merlin, I need you to go to other worlds and get some of Sora's old friends, even Gentai's friends. We'll need them if we even want to stand a chance in this battle." Merlin bowed to Leon briefly.

"I'll be back in a jiffy!" Merlin said before he waved his wand and disappeared from his house. Leon then realized he was still the only one left in the room. He gained his bearings, picked up his Gunblade from where it lay propped against the wall where it always was and he ran out of the house. He ran to the Bailey and was even prepared to fight the Heartless that were always there as he ran to the battle sight. But no Heartless ever came, and instead arose a green flame of malice as Maleficent herself appeared in the bailey. Leon brought his Gunblade to bear, ready to strike at the witch. But she held up a hand.

"Stop!" she commanded in a loud booming voice. "I have no trivial need to fight any of you here! Those are conquests best saved for another day."

"And I'm going to believe that!" Leon said, rushing at Maleficent but she disappeared and appeared behind him as he sliced through the empty space where she was.

"Please…by now I would think you poor simple fools would understand me. It is _my_ desire to rule all worlds, not let some fool take them from me. Therefore I shall aid you in this battle to stop the boy."

"Boy? That sure as hell didn't sound like a boy!" Leon growled at maleficent and she chuckled at his naivety.

"You misunderstand, I know this boys heart, having met him as he descended into darkness. Fools like him don't understand! So my Heartless and Hellfire Club shall aid you in your quest. But remember, after this battle is over we shall be enemies again." And before Leon could accede to or deny the terms Maleficent was gone. Leon shook his head. What had they gotten into now that they had to deal with Maleficent and the Heartless helping them? Leon got rid of the thoughts and ran forward then. The time for thinking was past. Now was the time for action.

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Terra stood calmly aboard the ship after he ended his transmission. Things were going well. He looked to a corner of the bridge where he found Riku sitting next to Demora. He didn't bother throwing them in the brig or tying their hands or restraining them in any way. Their will was now too broken for them to even comprehend doing anything. True, Sora had refused his demands but he had never really expected Sora to help him in the first place. That was all merely a ruse to unlock the hearts of the Keyblade Masters lying in the desert. He looked at his clock. Fifty minutes were left before he would deploy his fleet. They were ready. Nothing could stop him, even the blistering pain of darkness against his heart as it slowly but utmost surely, consumed him.

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Ten minutes remained in Radiant Garden and Leon was surprised at the amount of forces gathered around him. Merlin had arrived with good citizens from almost every world Sora had been to. Even Maleficent came with a force greater that all humanity could boast for indeed the Heartless were near endless. They would probably be easy prey for the Keyblade Masters, even if they hadn't fought them but they were a good buffer. That was the reason Leon was sending them to the front lines. Amongst them would be some of the other friends of Sora's who could fight but still needed some assistance in battle.

But Leon was more focused on the back line of the army. He needed the most powerful warriors to be there and he had formulated who was there. Maleficent and Hades joined them as the two most powerful members of the Hellfire Club to join them on the battlefield (Maleficent had insisted that Pete be sent to the frontlines). Next to them, Yuffie was going to run out with Tifa as a punch (no pun intended) to the Keyblade Masters from the frontlines. Leon would remain in the back, firing shots of fire energy into the field along with Cloud who would just stay behind, ready to destroy any Keyblade masters that made it to them. Merlin would also help on the magic front. But if there was one man that Leon was glad to have there, though he hadn't met him before, only heard stories from Sora, was Auron. Unlike the others who were fidgeting somewhat nervously at the imminent prospect of facing so many Keyblade Masters, he was calm, resting his sword on his shoulders. Leon was busy yelling out orders.

"Make sure the line is secure. Don't let anyone past the middle line and if they do don't break ranks!" Leon glanced behind him and saw the six women there standing behind him. Two girls with black hair though one was significantly longer than the others, three with blonde hair, one wearing an outfit of blue, the others gown seemed to shiver whereas the last blonde girl seemed to be only a teenager around roughly sixteen give or take a few years. The last had brown hair and was dressed in a plain blue and white dressed. "And make sure you protect the princesses! No funny business till they get sent home either, Maleficent!" He spat at her and she bowed mockingly low to him.

"Of course, I would not renege on a deal once struck." Maleficent said. Leon twitched a bit but Auron put a hand on his shoulder.

"Relax. She knows she'd be a fool to try." That was all he said as he fell silent. Leon smirked. The battle lines were set, the forces were ready, the Heartless would be the meat shield to prevent many from dying, even the Princesses of Heart were all here…well all minus one, but she was currently in no position to come. There were only two things left. Leon brought up his radio.

"Cid, I hope the fleet is ready to go!" Leon said and there was static for a few moments before Cid's scratchy southern drawl came across from the other end.

"We're ready as we'll ever be. We got Heartless ships joining us too. This is gonna be one hell of a battle." Cid said from over the other end.

"All right, wait for the signal then." And as soon as he finished saying that a man in a tattered hat with a feather sticking out of it and dressed in what could have been fine clothes turned rags, stepped forward, a pistol in his hand.

"We be ready to fight these perfidious rotters?" the man asked. He turned to Maleficent who nodded. Leon then gave the nod. "All right then, today we fight and make our mark upon these here worlds!" He turned around, pointing his gun to the sky. Leon wouldn't have made Captain hector Barbossa the one to give a rousing speech but the words that Barbossa was about to say gave al the will to fight for their worlds. "Brace up yards, ya cack-handed deck apes! Dying is the day worth livin' for!" And he cackled as he fired his pistol into the sky. Suddenly beams of light appeared on the other side of the boundary and a great number of men in armor appeared in the beams all bearing their own versions of a Keyblade. As soon as the front line saw them they rushed forward, the Heartless obeying Maleficent's orders.

The Keyblade Masters were at first unsure of how to deal with these strange black creatures bearing down upon them and a good number of them lost their hearts to the darkness as a cause of it before the Keyblade Masters quickly recovered and began hacking through them. Some of the other members came forward in the front line and were able to defeat some Keyblade Masters as well. Tifa herself, who was in the middle of a competition with Yuffie, had felled two Keyblade Masters with her fists despite their armor in the first minute after the battle began.

"I've got two Yuffie, how about you?!" Tifa yelled as she flipped over another one, ripping off his helmet and punching the guy so hard in the face that his head bled all over. "Make that three!" She looked over at Yuffie who swung her shuriken around in a wide arc that sliced through the armor and set a number of Keyblade Masters to the ground, lifeless.

"I'd say seven with that last group." Yuffie yelled back perkily. Tifa just snarled and viciously attacked the others. It seemed as though the numbers of the Heartless and some of the other frontliners abilities might actually enable them to win this battle in the end. But most of them knew, not even the hardest Keyblade Masters had yet to come, and there was still the battle in space.

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In the space above Radiant Garden yet another battle was raging as fire was exchanged between the two sides. Cid laughed and yipped as he felt the exhilarating rush of firing the cannons and gliding through space in the heat of battle. He was finding this battle enjoyable, letting off a shot of his Thundaga-G that hit the three enemies closing in on him.

"Yee-haw! You guys are a bunch of pinheads! Yeah you know how to use the Keyblade but that don't matter if you don't know how to work a Gummi Ship." He barrel rolled his ship to avoid a shot that was fired at him and he pulled a small joystick towards him and pressed a button firing off his Ultima-G that destroyed many ships upon impact. "All right, all units report in any casualties."

"Crown Unit has sustained none." said one leader over the intercom.

"Key Unit has sustained none."

"Garden Unit has sustained none."

"Kingdom Unit has sustained none." Cid smiled, they had already destroyed a bunch of ships and none of them had fallen. That just proved that their forces were clearly the more superb forces in space. But Cid knew that the ships would keep coming and the ground forces would still need help, which meant they needed to prevent the ship from sending more reinforcements down. Cid thought on this while expertly evading shots and giving them to nearby ships. There really only was one option.

"All right guys, we don't have time to waste here on small fry. All ships have a weakness. So we find it, and exploit it! Crown Unit and Garden Unit follow me and Bastion Unit, we're taking down that ship to turn it into a hunk of flaming junk. Key Unit, Kingdom Unit, help protect our flanks. We'll need all the help we can get. Let's get crackin' boys!" And the ships, despite their few numbers spiraled into engage the _Unbirth_ itself in combat.

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Down below, the battle was not faring as well as they had hoped. There had not been any casualties on the defending side but the Keyblade Masters were hurriedly pushing their way through the force and were already upon the middle line and was attacking them. They were up to the defending challenge and many of the back row were defending them with their magics. Even the princesses were creating an aura of light, but without the seventh princess it was still rather weak. And Leon knew it wasn't much time before the two sides would clash here. Leon was determined to engage them before that happened, all of them did. Leon looked to all of the men and women aiding him. He specifically looked at Cloud and smirked.

"Ready to handle this many?" Leon asked and Cloud smirked back at him.

"Don't know. If the fight drags past ten minutes I might have to take a break." Cloud said in a sarcastic voice.

"Well, looks like I'll have to fight for twenty. Let's see who can best the total." Leon said, his Gunblade rising in front of him as Cloud brought his Buster Sword in front of him.

"You're on!" Cloud said and the two, without warning to the other back row contenders, leapt into the fray. Only a few seconds of silence passed as the others quickly ran into battle, Auron following along slowly behind them. He scoffed, amused at the spectacle.

"This is their story…and right now, I'm part of it." Auron said, smiling to himself. Then without a word his sword flew behind him and stabbed a Keyblade Master who had been about to attack him. He just smirked as he withdrew his sword and walked off to engage the enemy, Leon briefly staring in awe before he returned to the battle.

It was going to be one long afternoon.

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**Author's Note: Well, there's the beginning of the battle that will last a few more chapters. I know, it was probably cruel to cut Sora out when he just came back but he'll be back next chapter along with Kairi and Riku and I won't say who else or I'll give too much away. But the next chapter will be AWESOME!!! I guarantee it so stick around until then and I hope you enjoyed this chapter…even if it was a little rushed. So please review like my new reviewers Reapergal 08 and Crazyfrog41. Until next time, Dare to Be Silly.**


	12. Chapter 11: Battle of Darkness

**DISCLAIMER: I own nothing to do with this story save for plot lines or OCs and this holds for all of it, so don't ask me again.**

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Chapter 11

Battle of Darkness

The battle was long and hard fought, raging for most of the afternoon. The Heartless could only last as a meat shield for so long before the Keyblade Masters would start making it back to some of the more valuable members. But the back row was still holding their own and defending the princesses as well as the rest of the Radiant Garden town proper. Leon was firing energy into the Keyblade Masters almost astonished at what he was doing to these men and women…but it was what was necessary to defend his home world. Because first would be Radiant Garden, and then what? Another world? Another galaxy? Another universe? That gave Leon enough courage to fight.

He spun around and his Gunblade pierced right through the armor of the nearest Keyblade master as he watched Cloud fly through the air and smite down other Keyblade Masters. Leon just smirked and rose his sword quickly into the air. "It's over!" he yelled and suddenly his sword became even larger a colorful sheen of rainbow encasing the once standard Gunblade. He then spun his blade around in a wide arc, causing many more Keyblade Masters to fall away from him.

"My count hits fifty with that!" He yelled aloud as Cloud flew back into the air and summoned a fiery power in his sword raining meteors upon five unsuspecting Keyblade Masters. Then he landed.

"I got fifty-one." Cloud said, and he went back on the attack as Leon followed in suite. Towards the back of the battlefield, Aerith was tending to some of the wounded. Thankfully none of them had fallen but they were still hurt in battle. She also had to make sure that the other princesses were kept safe. Alice screamed as a gummi ship came shooting out of the sky and landed nearby. Clearly the battle in space was coming a little too close to the atmosphere. But as Aerith look over at the fallen Gummi Ship, she noticed with pleasure that it was not one of their own. Then she turned her attention back to Aladdin's wounded calf and healed it. He thanked her, blew Jasmine a kiss, and ran back into battle. Aerith sighed and looked back to the battle where they seemed to be gaining ground but where the battle could turn at any moment.

Auron sidestepped a few of the Keyblade Masters and aimed shots at them, taking them down quite easily. He chuckled to himself until he was faced with a man that was twice as large as him and seemed to reek of a primal instinct. Auron could tell this man had enjoyed ripping the Heartless to shreds. He laughed a booming laugh that would have chilled most to the bone marrow…but not Auron.

"So, you are the infamous Auron?" the man asked in a very gruff voice, the voice brimming with a cackling malice.

"I don't know about infamous…" Auron said, spreading his legs apart and removing his arm from his sling. He took a swig from his canteen that he had made sure to bring along this time and spat on his sword. "But yeah, I'm Auron." The man in front of him gave a feral battle cry and lunged at him. Auron took a single step to the side and brought his blade down on the man's back, felling him in an instant. He took another drink and chuckled. "This is my story…and you're no longer part of it." Then he cocked his head and returned to his lazy battle.

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On the bridge of the _Unbirth_ the men there were running around pell mell. The battle that had been taking place in space was starting to take a toll and many men had already bolted for the engine room to keep the engine in operating order. This left five men to keep the ship in orbit. They couldn't fire the cannon down into Radiant Garden, even Terra knew that would be too risky for their own forces but regardless, he was starting to worry…only slightly.

The Gummi Ships orbiting around were peppering the cruiser with their blasts and he could only guess the battle on the surface was going just as well…meaning not well at all. But that was all right with him, he had not yet entered the fray. He had not yet begun to swing his mighty Keyblade to eliminate the forces around him. He glanced over to the corner of the bridge and saw Riku patting Demora on the back and whispering what seemed to be kind words to her to bring her back to normal. Terra smirked…despair and darkness were both powerful allies.

He turned back to the glass partition on the bridge but as he finished turning, footsteps ran up behind him and he grimaced, knowing the news that was to come. He whipped around, his cape flashing and shimmering as he did.

"What's the problem now?" he growled and the man seemed to almost step back in fear. He fumbled around with his hands a little bit, but with a gurgling issuing from Terra's throat he ceased the fumbling and began to stutter out what he had intended to say all along.

"My Lord…the, uh, the engine i-is having trouble. There is a r-rather large strain on it. Those Gummi Ships s-seem to have found the weakness of the ship." He said timidly and half-expected for Terra to summon his Keyblade and chop his head off. Instead Terra walked calmly over and stood next to the man which caused him to tense up even more. Terra's rage was boiling again. He would not fail this time. His hand extended and grabbed the man's head, about to use the same trick that the man he hated so long ago had used on his…friend…But before he had the chance to squeeze a blast rocked the ship and one of the members on the upper level flew from the balcony and landed with a sickening thud on the floor. Terra had managed to maintain his balance but in his anger at the occurrence he aimed a kick at the man he was going to kill before, punting him across the room as an alarm began to blare.

"Lock onto those Gummi Ships!" he screamed with ferocity, the feral rage beginning to once again take him over. "Fire! Fire away! Give everything you have!"

"But we have not enough men to operate the cannons, the Gummi Ships have locked onto the cannon ports!" one of the men yelled, clearly conveying a message from the rooms below on the ship.

"Then throw yourself in the cannons and aim yourself at the ship!" He began to stride toward one of the control panels when suddenly he found a Keyblade extended at his throat. It was dark, with a purple and red look to it, the Keychain dangling from it the symbol of the Heartless. Terra felt the Keyblade there and chuckled, shaking his head. "I would have thought that after last time you would have learned your lesson…not to mess with the darkness."

"Nope. I'm still learning the lesson." issued Riku's voice from the body that was attached to the Keyblade. "Let's see how you learn the lesson this time…without your little friends by your side."

"Indeed…let us see without yours." In an instant Terra's Keyblade appeared and he struck with lightning speed as Riku brought his Keyblade up to block the blow coming to him. And thus the battle of the two men filled with a darkness began to duel.

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In Sunset Horizons Gentai was slamming his Keyblade against the cage of light in a futile attempt to break free. It was draining his energy but he didn't care, he just wanted to get out of here, to make up for all he'd done. It was killing him. After many strikes and hacks with the Keyblade he slumped a bit, his Keyblade touching the sands in the desert as tears began to roll down his face.

"I failed…I failed everybody…my family…my friends…everyone." He felt two hands touch both of his shoulders belonging to both Sora and Kairi.

"Don't beat yourself up!" Sora said cheerfully. "We'll get through this together. Sometimes, we'll just have to wait. I'm sure our friends will pull through." Sora smiled at Gentai, but Gentai only fixed him with a determined stare as he picked himself up.

"Waiting isn't good enough!" Gentai yelled and he pointed his Keyblade at the prison bars and the Keyblade radiated a bright light that shot at the bars, ramming it and battering it with an intense light. It still wasn't doing anything as of yet but Gentai could feel something was going to happen. Behind him, Sora and Kairi looked at each other before they smiled and nodded. Both of them summoned their Keyblades and fired their own respective beams of light at the cage around them. Their beams met where Gentai's also was and suddenly the light grew even brighter. Then there was a sound that seemed to be glass shattering as the light reached its peak and faded away. When they looked, they saw the bars of the light prison melting away into the air.

"We did it!" Sora chimed out in happiness and Kairi just giggled at his attitude. She had missed that lazy, spiky haired, fun loving, Keyblade wielding goofball. But Gentai just strode forward and the mood set by Sora's comment was instantly shattered.

"Not yet." He held the Keyblade out in front of him. He had never tried this before but he was going to now and hopefully it would work. He focused his will into the blade and yet another beam of light shot out in front of him. But the beam stopped five meters in front of him and hovered there. But in moments the light spread out and formed the shape of a keyhole, the corridor beyond stretching forward. Gentai smirked and stepped into the portal as it closed behind him. Sora and Kairi looked at each other again before repeating Gentai's actions. They were about to step through but Kairi stopped.

"I'm glad to have you back, Sora." She said to him. He smiled a big goofy smiled.

"It's good to be back!!" Sora yelled. "See you on the other side, Kairi." He said to her.

"I'll race you!" Kairi said and Sora chuckled back.

"First to the finish then." And they stepped through their portals of light, on their way back to Radiant Garden, and the battle that awaited them there.

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While that was taking place, Riku was dueling Terra on the bridge of the _Unbirth_. Terra moved with a speed that was unlike any mortal man…even any mortal man with the Keyblade. His attacks came fierce and he never let up. Riku blocked the first blow and Terra kept coming at him so Riku kept stepping backward and blocking each and every blow that came his way. He jumped backward and summoned a ball of darkness in his hand, firing it at Terra. Terra held his Keyblade up and blocked the blow, chuckling as he did so before he leapt at Riku who jumped up to the higher level of the bridge so as to give himself some breathing room before Terra could bear down on him.

That didn't last very long because Terra flew straight up and fired a burst of fire at Riku which he dodged away from. But Terra swiveled around and let loose another patch of fire. The projectile flew at him and Riku knew he'd have no time to dodge it. He weaved his hands around and created a small honeycomb shield in front of it. Normally, when the projectile would hit it would bounce off the shield onto the person who fired it. But the force of the flame was so great that it broke the shield. It didn't harm Riku but Riku's astonishment was so large at this occurrence that it gave Terra a free attack on him. He barely had time to enact a parry and was parrying for his life fully and completely now. Terra's blows were becoming more difficult to block as though he was channeling even more darkness as the fight continued. And Riku couldn't take much more…he may have been strong but he was still weak against this monster. Riku jumped back as far as he could, putting some distance between him and the dark Keyblade Master. Terra laughed and he lashed his Keyblade out at him like a whip that hit Riku's a glanced off him before Terra summoned a large amount of energy that hit Riku before he even had the time to act and knocked him off the upper level of the bridge where he slid along the floor, landing near the glass partition.

Demora saw this and she leapt up and ran to Riku, trying to make sure he was okay. He had a few burns, and was breathing heavily but otherwise he was fine. Demora looked at Terra as he dropped with a clang to the lower level. She hated the man, hated all that he had done to her and the all the worlds. She wouldn't allow it…but she was too weak to stand a chance. Terra strutted over to them and held his Keyblade out.

"I thought you would have lasted longer." Terra said with amusement playing every tone of his voice. "But I suppose you were meant to fall at my hands."

"This isn't finished Terra." Riku said calmly, as though he knew what was going to happen. "No matter what happens here…the worlds are stronger than you think. There is darkness…but light exists alongside darkness. And that's reason we'll triumph over you and 'Xehanort's filth'. So go on, take me down, but we'll still stop you."

"Bold last words." He then spun his Keyblade high in the air and brought it down onto Riku. But before the Keyblade could connect with metal or flesh a huge explosion ripped through the bridge and Riku brought up his Dark Shield around him and Demora as Terra glanced away in a vain attempt to shield himself. Beyond the now broken glass partition was a giant fleet of Gummi Ships with a certain Kingdom model at the forefront. Riku smiled. The Disney Castle Fleet had arrived. Then Riku heard a welcoming and familiar voice.

"Hey Riku!" the King called out. "Why don't you hop on?" Riku grabbed Demora and they quickly ran, the Dark Shield keeping them in a bubble of air as they slid onto the ship that began to speed down to Radiant Garden. Terra meanwhile was clutching his face, still reeling from the unexpected explosion. The explosion had killed the rest of the men on the bridge and so he crawled over, hitting a green button that closed the blast doors where the glass partition had been. He grimaced in pain and removed his hand from his face.

Half of his helmet had been sheared off revealing part of his mouth, his nose, his hair…but most importantly…his eyes. Where there had once been a blue sheen in his eyes that glittered with the glow of life, there was now nothing. He had gone blind. Consumed by the power of darkness he so desperately hated, his eyes had transformed making him less of a human being, forbidding him his sight. Now he was a hollow shadow of a man despite having purpose. It was true that he could sense things that others perhaps could not…but his eyes saw nothing but black, a remnant of the battle that had cost him so much so long ago. He grasped his helmet in anger and ripped it off, his brown hair now showing fully. Then in rage he strode through the door from the bridge down to the teleportation room. He activated the controls and sent himself down to the battlefield of Radiant Garden.

As soon as he arrived the battlefield was filled with a chill as though they knew he was there. He stepped forth, bearing his Keyblade before he sensed the life forms he had been waiting for. Sure enough, the Gummi Ship screeched along the ground and out jumped Riku, King Mickey, Donald Duck and Goofy. They saw Terra and made a beeline for him as he held out his Keyblade.

"YOU!" Mickey yelled out.

"The little apprentice of Yen Sid. How interesting that we should meet again." Terra stated calmly, once more belying a sinister rage.

"Terra, why are you doing this?" Mickey yelled. "You're not gone yet…not from seventeen years ago."

"Silence!" Terra yelled, imposing his authority. "This world must be cleansed, and we shall start with YOU!" And terra fired a large projectile of blue fire at Mickey who summoned his golden Keyblade in a flashed and fired back with an equally large spell of Blizzard. The two collided near Mickey and the crew and the dust rose into the air in a thick cloud. Terra smirked, surely the blast had killed them. "ha! Your lives are forfeit. Give up your battle, you have lost."

But before Terra could say more, a bright light appeared and a voice nobody thought they'd hear again range out.

"We're not done." Gentai said as he stepped through his portal of light. Sora stepped out from behind him.

"But you are Terra!" he said. Donald and Goofy cried out his name and he smiled at them before baring his Keyblade. The five Keyblade Masters then lined up to face Terra, Demora, Donald, and Goofy behind them

"This time, your filth will be erased." Gentai said, ready to begin their showdown.

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**Author's Note: Sorry it took me so long to update but its really hard when you have little access to the internet, Kingdom hearts Re: Chain of Memories and no reviewers. Come on, please review!!! Nobody reviewed my last chapter and it made me sad…in any case, this was an intense chapter that put in a lot of things that I wanted to do from the very beginning. Regardless, you can tell this story is going to end soon…in fact just four chapters to go, so put your clicker on that review button and review. And check out the poll on my profile page so I can see what you think and you can see if you're right…at least in my story. The next poll will be up after Chapter 13.**

**And for anybody who has not played Re: Chain of Memories. It came out in North America yesterday. It's pretty awesome too though why they changed the awesome opening line at the beginning, removed Christopher Lee as DiZ, and kept Haley Joel Osment's older voice I will never understand…but it still works cohesively and Quniton Flynn as Axel is still awesome. Well, until next time, Dare to Be Silly.**

**P.S. Check out a one-shot I'm hoping to post today regarding Organization XIII.**


	13. Chapter 12: Key of the Future

**DISCLAIMER: I own nothing to do with this story save for plot lines or OCs and this holds for all of it, so don't ask me again.**

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Chapter 12

Key of the Future

"And how exactly did you escape?" Terra said with revulsion at the sight of these self-righteous selfless Keyblade Masters before his eyes. For some reason, Gentai was at the front of the column, Sora and Kairi straight behind him, Riku and Mickey stemming from them as well as Donald and Goofy on the other side.

"The Keyblade holds many mysteries." Gentai said and Sora smirked behind him. "I've learned a lot of them. For instance, this." He held his Keyblade up and let his Keychain dangle below. His fingers danced over the crest that was connected to his blade. "I noticed that you didn't have one. I understand why. They were created after your time. The Keychains could be attached to the Keyblade in order to still keep the Keyblade strong even if the master's heart had changed. Why do you think Sora could wield the Keyblade so effectively because he kept changing it with Keychains from his friends!" Sora's hand strayed to his pocket and found where he had stored some of his Keychains…he had never known that.

"But even with your strength you don't have a Keychain so your strength is much less compared to us. But there's still time Terra. You can turn away from this and we will help you. I can sense it in your heart…the pain you are feeling. Aren't you going to fight it? Your heart has not yet changed so much that-" Terra roared like a feral beast and the Keyblade Masters remained gravely silent.

"I will not have you speak to me like that, scum!!!" Terra yelled, spit flying from his mouth. His black orbs that he now held for eyes boring into Gentai's own. "Your hearts are forfeit! I will crush them and cleanse this world. It is unstoppable! Your lives are over." Gentai gave a short laugh and smirked.

"In the words of my good friend Sora, you may destroy our bodies…but you can't touch our hearts." Gentai paused for a moment now. "Our hearts will stay with our friends, they'll never die!" As those final words rang out, Sora's voice joined him in quoting what he had said to Riku so many years ago. Riku leaned in.

"He really does have your memories…" Riku said and Sora chuckled. Terra snarled, his rage at last awakened.

"Very well then…I shall destroy your hearts!!!" He leapt up high into the air and proceeded to angle himself towards Gentai. Gentai raised his Keyblade in an attempt to block the blow but something else stopped it first. A golden Keyblade with a silver handle, the mouse attached to it floating in the air. Terra flipped backward as Mickey landed right next to Gentai. Once more, Terra snarled. "You meddlesome king."

"I've heard those words before…but not from you." Mickey said with determination. "Come on, Terra, you have to fight the darkness."

"There is no darkness for me to fight." Terra split his legs apart and brought his Keyblade up in a defensive pose. "Let's see how much you've grown since we last met seventeen years ago." Mickey smiled and Terra smirked as Mickey leapt at him, their two Keyblades meeting in midair.

While these two old, and veteran Keyblade Masters were dueling the other Keyblade Masters and their companions were soon surrounded by Terra's army who felt they were enough of a threat to break away from this battle and face them down.

"So, how much you wanna bet that we'll get more kills than anyone else fighting?" Gentai said with a touch of humor in his voice.

"Well, you _are_ a Keyblade Master…" Demora said wearily. Gentai glared at her, still miffed about what she had done. But she gave him an apologetic smile and the anger melted away and that feeling that he had had before the desert started coming back to him. Gentai shook his head of it and next to him Riku smirked.

"Let's take them down." Riku said. Sora smiled and glanced at his best friend.

"Bet that I'll get more than you!" Sora said with a chuckle.

"Oh, we'll see about that!"

"Here they go…at it again…" Kairi said with exasperation. "What's the score?"

"Five to zero last I checked." Sora said and Riku gave him a look of astonishment.

"Last I counted was four to one!" Riku said angrily and Sora laughed as the Keyblade Masters formed a tighter circle.

"Uhh…you taking my Keyblade doesn't count as a win and Roxas is me so him beating you gives me another one."

"Then that makes it five to one, I beat Roxas the second time."

"Can we focus on the real issue here people?!" Demora and Gentai yelled at the same time. The other Keyblade Masters looked at them and then at each other before they laughed.

"All right, let's do this!" Sora said. "Me and Kairi will take the left, Riku and Gentai will take the right. Donald, Goofy and Demora, you guys can take the middle." Sora ordered. They all gave each other a thumbs up and ran into the battle. Donald, Goofy and Demora had the most difficulty of the three groups but they still got by rather well, what with Donald casting all kinds of magic all over the place and Goofy creating a vicious whirlwind with his shield that took the Keyblade Masters by surprise. They had fought with Sora long enough that they knew how Keyblade Masters worked and if they had wanted to take them down it was simply too easy…granted they weren't Sora, Riku, or Kairi.

Sora and Kairi were meanwhile fighting back to back. It had been a long time since they were able to do this and Sora, now being back from the dead, had almost wanted to spend more time looking at Kairi while she fought rather than fighting himself. But, alas, 'twas not to be. Regardless, Sora's Keyblade struck out with a ferocity the likes of which these other Keyblade Masters had never seen. It dizzied them, and anytime Sora was unfortunate enough to get himself hurt he'd feel a shower of healing magic fall on him from Kairi's Keyblade. He looked at her and smiled and then as half a dozen Keyblade Masters came running at them, Sora grabbed Kairi's hand and using her momentum, flung Kairi at the charging foes. She flew forward and braced her Keyblade against the crushing blow that could come. She muttered some words under her breath and as she collided with the Keyblade Masters a honeycomb shield erected itself in a sphere around her. Their Keyblades collided against it and they flew backward, landing on the ground. They managed to get up but Sora had already Quick Run past them and he plunged his Keyblade into the ground.

"Gaia!!" He yelled and spires of earth sprung up from the ground, knocking the Keyblade Masters away. He stood up and made a deft movement to scratch his chin as Kairi hugged him from behind. He shook her off and smiled at her while also giving her a look that reminded her of a job they had to do.

In the right wing of Terra's forces, Sora was rapidly losing the bet that Riku had placed with him as both the Dark Wielder and the Key of the Future were slicing and dicing their way through the army quite effectively and quickly. The Keyblade Master closed ranks on them and the two smirked. They looked at each other a nodded. Riku and Gentai both jumped into the air and flew towards the unsuspecting opponents. They dashed through the air, only a small aura of darkness emanating around them as they felled their opponents quickly and efficiently. When they had finished and landed there was a wall, a rather thick wall, of enemies between the two of them. When they noticed Gentai they began to move towards him. He smirked. There was a whole lot of hurt coming to them. He drew on the memories of Sora that he held inside and his body shined with a brilliant light. Even Riku covered his eyes as the boy inside of that cocoon of light transformed, coming out with clothes of pure silver, gliding in the air, two Keyblades floating behind him: the Oathkeeper and Oblivion…Sora's Final Form. Riku almost laughed. He really _did_ have Sora's memories. Gentai leapt into the air, the trail that the Keyblades left behind in his wake surprising the unsuspecting Keyblade Masters. He then angled himself to the ground and let his mind and heart control the Keyblades to ricochet around and strike at his foes. He then landed creating a small explosion that knocked a large number of the soldiers away. Gentai then reverted into his normal clothes.

"Well…there's the shocker for today…" Riku said. Gentai smiled at him.

"Let's just end this!" The two ran back into battle.

Meanwhile, a small distance away, Mickey was dueling with Terra. Despite Terra's blindness he was still able to effectively duel the King of Disney Castle. Mickey flipped in the air and over Terra's head but Terra stuck his Keyblade behind him and blocked the aimed blow to his back. He then focused on a flame inside of his Keyblade and three large flaming rocks of magma began to spin around him at an undaunted speed. He felt for sure that this would stymie the king that was trying to reach him. Mickey was not to be stopped however and he flew into the air summoning a large chunk of ice in his blade. He swung his Keyblade around and fired the prisms of cold terror at Terra's revolving orbs of fire. The two collided and Terra's magical barrier disappeared as Mickey came flying at him, the fallen knight just managing to block the blow. Terra was pushed back and in anger he screamed in rage and glowed with a green color. He rushed forward and began to rain blows upon Mickey who either dodged them or blocked them. Eventually Terra ended his onslaught, but before Mickey had the chance to attack he leapt backwards.

Terra summoned energy in his Keyblade and fired it at the king who leapt into the air and brought his Keyblade upon it, sundering the energy in two. Terra registered a look of shock as Mickey came at him but Terra dodged the blow by leaping into the air and hurtling down at the tiny mouse. Mickey smiled and yelled "Fire!" creating a colossal ring and pillar of fire around him that caught Terra off guard and threw him back. He gasped as he landed on the ground and got up. It was impossible that this king had grown so powerful. He began to summon energy again.

"Stop!" Mickey yelled and he prepared to send out his own burst of magic when something caught the two warriors off guard. Terra's ship came hurtling down from the sky on a crash course for where Villain's Vale had once stood. As it impacted the explosion reverberated through the entire area and both Mickey and Terra braced themselves against the blast. As it was finished both forces were reeling from the loud noises that had filled their ears. Both they both soon turned their attention back to the battle. Mickey acted first and fired off a bright light of Pearl that hit Terra and threw him backward, having contained much power for something so small. Terra landed and stood up, prepared to duel the king once more. But it was over before it had even started. Mickey flew behind him and gave him a wallop on the back, causing his knee to collapse and hit the floor.

Despite the darkness coursing through his veins, and the anger that had fueled him…he had lost.

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**Author's Note: Hey, sorry it took a week but I wanted to make the Mickey vs. Terra battle good. So I hope you enjoyed that. I know it was a short chapter but it mostly revolved around the battle. Next chapter will be the end of some things and the beginning of the end. So vote on my poll on profile page before that time is up. Also, please give me reviews as this story is finishing soon and I will want to know if I should write a sequel, a prequel, or nothing at all and I value reader's opinions…even if they say my work is crappy. So please review, and I'll mention you. Until Chapter 13 then…Dare to be Silly.**


	14. Chapter 13: Remembering Kingdom Hearts

**DISCLAIMER: I own nothing to do with this story save for plot lines or OCs and this holds for all of it, so don't ask me again.**

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Chapter 13

Remembering Kingdom Hearts

Terra was gasping, all his breath gone as the king landed in front of him, his Keyblade outstretched at the fallen knight. Terra laughed though it came out as more of a weak chuckle. To believe he had been defeated here, when his plan was going to come to fruition.

"Go ahead…" he gasped. "End my existence…end everything I am or was…end my heart…" Terra snarled to him. Mickey lowered his Keyblade.

"Gosh, Terra. What happened to you? I can't do that. Everybody deserves to keep their lives and their hearts as long as they follow them and don't stray into darkness."

"Then are you to call me a creature of the dark?" Terra said incredulously. He couldn't take staring at this tiny king that had gracefully defeated him. His heart was twisted and though the king bore the Dark Realm's Keyblade he held barely any darkness in his heart. "That's what I am isn't it…Six years I devoted to the task he left me…watch over the Keyblade Masters and then when the time came…I left and steeped so far I lost my sight." Terra stood up his weight placing a burden on his knees. He was ready to drop but he managed to bring himself to stand.

"You lost the sight of your eyes and your heart…" Mickey said to him. "But you can get them back." He held out a hand to Terra but Terra's face contorted into something no less than grimace of pain and anger that was slowly twisting his convoluted heart.

"You think you can offer an olive branch to me!" Terra roared viciously. "You're the king who went with her…who took everything from her. She searched for Xehanort and she fell into darkness! After she had lost everything else, she lost more!" He swung his Keyblade out and held it in front of him. "Answer me, _Your Majesty_!" he yelled with distaste.

"Gosh…" Mickey sighed out as Sora, Riku, Kairi, Gentai, Donald, Goofy, and Demora ran up behind him to see the snarling Terra facing him down.

"What happened to her?! Did she sink into darkness like everything she cared about!" Terra yelled, the rage palpitating his face in many areas but none more expressive than his dead blank eyes.

"Aqua chose to look for Xehanort…she never really found him…because he simply made another, his spirit that wreaked havoc on the worlds for seventeen more years!" Mickey yelled. "I couldn't travel with her forever, I had other things to protect."

"So she fell into darkness…just like him…" Terra said mutedly under his breath. He looked down as he said this but after a few moments of silence, save for the battle raging around them as Terra's forces quickly fell, he snapped a look up. "Then you shall drown in that same darkness!!!" Terra screamed and he roared in a ferocious bellow that spewed darkness from it, drawing not only from Terra's own darkness but from the hearts of light that were the seven princesses of heart. The Keyblade Masters and their companions held their Keyblades to bear to stop themselves from being swept away by the rush of darkness. They closed their eyes as it buffeted them and soon the rush was over. They opened their eyes and saw…nothing.

All that was swirling around their feet, their heads, their bodies was utter darkness. Sora looked around and vaguely recognized the place…Kingdom Hearts. Sure enough, there, a short distance from them was a colossal bright light that yet had darkness swirling around it: the heart of all the worlds. Terra's darkness had fed into it, and fed off of the light from the seven princesses to make it appear in Radiant Garden. Sora couldn't believe it and what's more, he couldn't stand it. He ran at Terra, his Keyblade in front of him as Gentai followed in suit. They rushed at Terra, their companions left behind and Terra blocked their blows. Sora didn't stop however and rained blow upon blow on Terra who blocked them but could still feel the strain it was making on his heart.

"Energy!" he heard Gentai yell from behind him and a crescent of energy flew at him, striking him in the back and cutting through his armor. He didn't scream in pain however, he was too strong for any of that. Sora took this chance and leapt at him, using the strength of his legs to push him away and onto the ground. But Terra was up immediately. Sora landed next to Gentai and the two looked at each other, knowing what they were going to do.

"Light!" Light enveloped the two keyblade Masters and their clothes changed their hue, Sora came out in red and Gentai in blue. They smirked and flew at Terra, Sora covering the physical blows Terra was taking and Gentai casting a plethora of magic spells at him. After a small time their clothes reverted to their original colors. They stood for a moment, panting slightly before once more Terra dropped to his knees, the toll of darkness in his heart taking full effect as Kingdom Hearts fed off of it. The darkness around the massive core was strengthening, soon to envelop all in its clutches. Terra gasped for breath as his heart screamed in pain. Then he felt the now familiar presence of Gentai run up to him.

"Come to end it now?" Terra asked, almost a note of pleading in his voice. "I have nothing else to live for…why not?"

"Because Terra…what happened in the past was not your fault." Gentai said to him empathetically.

"But…I let them fall…I let them die!" Terra said, trying to convince the stubborn boy on this one point.

"No…sometimes we can't change things…but we can't let the past bog us down. Those who depend on us wouldn't want that to happen. Your failure doesn't have to ruin your life or run it. You power should be used for good, not this." Gentai said, holding a hand out to him just as Mickey had. "Don't you remember? Isn't that what your friends would want?"

"My…friends…?" Terra gasped out and the memories flooded back to him.

_"Sometime before, didn't you save me?" a younger Terra asked his friend, a blonde-haired boy, Ven. The boy looked at him and smiled._

_"After what we've been through, we're friends so…" Terra smiled and placed a hand on his friends shoulder._

_"Thank you, Ven." Then that image melted into another of Terra and a girl with blue hair in a castle with elaborate red carpet._

_"Any signs of Master Xehanort?" the girl asked him and he looked at her._

_"He appears to be concerned with 'those with hearts of pure light'." Terra told the girl and she seemed to think on this for a moment._

_"'Those with hearts of pure light'?" the girl asked and Terra nodded._

_"We will seek out that light as well, Master Xehanort will certainly be there." Terra told her before that vision also faded into one more of rememberance._

_"I have a friend…" Terra said facing down Xehanort who was asking for him to join him. "Tell me Xehanort, what have you done with his heart?!" And those images faded._

Terra was gasping but as the visions melted away he stood up and faced the colossal core of darkness in Kingdom Hearts.

"I am not a demon of the darkness!!!!" He stood up and with the last of his strength he leapt into the air and cascaded his Keyblade onto the shield of darkness in order to break it away and return Radiant Garden to the world of light. The Keyblade hit it and for a moment all was silent until a great rush of darkness buffeted backward and hit him while also spewing forth a great light.

_She gasped as she looked into his eyes and he turned away, ashamed of the now feral yellow color his eyes had taken on. But he passed it by and the two went back to crouching over the frozen figure that was his friend. He was gasping, his eyes trying desperately to focus on her face._

_"Ven…" the man breathed out. Ven gasped, trying to stay alive while relaying his final message._

_"Terra…" he gasped out as blood tricked from him and froze on his body as his heart also began to freeze. "Protect the Keyblade Masters…they are…our final hope…and the princess, they must remain…pure." He shuddered as the chill was taking its full effect._

_"Ven!" the girl yelled. Terra knelt down and bowed to him._

_"On my life, I will." He said and it seemed to put Ven at ease for a moment but he soon shuddered more as his eyes began to wink out of existence._

_"Aqua…I'm sorry…we couldn't be…together…" Ven said, as his final words before his life faded and he died. Aqua slumped over his body and began to cry as Terra stood up and looked at the heart-shaped moon in the sky._

_"Xehanort…you will pay." He said and Terra's finally memory faded from existence._

In Radiant Garden, now filled with light, Terra was lying on the ground, his body a mangled mess and his armor punctured in many places. He breathing was haggard but he held onto life for just a little longer. Gentai ran up to him.

"Terra…" Gentai gasped. He turned his head to look at him, the still blank eyes conveying the most emotion they ever had.

"Thank you…" he said and his body faded away, Terra full knowing that it was his time. Gentai watched and sighed…the battle against darkness was over…but only at the price of over a thousand Keyblade Masters.

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**Author's Note: So that's that and the end of Terra. Yes, he was a tortured soul so Marine is hope2 was right all along…and only one person voted on my poll. That makes me kind of sad. Anyway, yes, this chapter was short but hopefully fulfilling and as the story winds down the chapters are a bit shorter but still good. I'm also putting a new poll up today as to whether I should write a sequel or a prequel or nothing at all. You can also post that in a review but also check the poll. Hopefully you enjoyed this and till Chapter 14, Dare to Be Silly.**


	15. Chapter 14: After the Battle

**DISCLAIMER: I own nothing to do with this story save for plot lines or OCs and this holds for all of it, so don't ask me again.**

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Chapter 14

After the Battle

Terra was floating in a bizarre white space where there was nothing, no existence, no life. He was just floating there, almost content with himself. But there was something different about him. He had his eyes closed but you could tell that his face was younger and did not have such a haggard look as it had in the past. His hair was standing like it had before this whole business. As one would look down the body they would see his blue short sleeved shirt and two red leather straps expanding across his chest, a metal arm guard attached on his left arm. As you looked further there was a cream colored skirt that seemed to be more for aerodynamics than anything else. He floated there for a few moments before he gasped and opened his eyes, revealing a luminescent aquamarine in his irises. He stood up in the area and looked around. All he saw was the whiteness. Was he still blind? Or was this space just completely white?

Terra fidgeted around a little bit, looking around the space where he was, wondering about it. Then he heard a very soft pad of footsteps behind him. He froze. he didn't need his sight or anything to know who was behind him.

"About time you made it." said a female voice that Terra thought was all but lost. "For a moment we thought you'd never come." Terra wanted to smile but found his face unable to do so.

"Why so silent, friend?" asked another voice, male this time, younger than his own but still with an old feel to it. "Last I remembered you always took action before thinking about anything." Terra chortled a small bit before he slowly turned around to face the two that were there. For a moment he could not believe his eyes. He had watched him die but the boy with blonde hair was standing there right in front of him.

"But…I thought you had died…" Terra said quietly and Ven laughed.

"Well, yeah…but did you seriously think that death was the end?" Ven said to him, laughing even harder at his friend's mistakenness.

"But…" Terra sighed and Aqua stepped forward.

"Come on Terra, stop looking so glum, we're together again, aren't we?" Aqua said to him.

"I let you die Aqua…and you Ven…look at the blood that is on my hands…" Terra said in a very depressed tone.

"Hey, cheer up!" Ven said to him but Terra didn't become any brighter.

"You didn't deserve to be deleted…but after what I've done…" Terra said.

"You only did what you thought was right…nobody could fault you for that." Ven said, walking over to Terra and placing a hand on his shoulder. "But if you're ready, you can join us."

"Join you?" Terra asked perplexedly.

"The great heart, the life after death where all our hearts lie." Aqua answered him with a smile that he thought she'd never wear again.

"But can I join you after all this?" Terra said, ashamed at the pain he had caused.

"Your heart is filled with light…come on Terra." Ven said, and together both he and Aqua took him by his hands and dragged him forward to his new life.

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"Are you sure you won't stay on?" Leon asked Kairi in Ansem's Study after the battle while the others were cleaning up the mess from the battle. Nobody had died thankfully, at least on their side, but the damage to the outer limits of the city had been staggering. Sora placed a hand on Kairi's shoulder and she looked at the brunette with a smiling face and sparkling blue eyes before turning back to Leon.

"I know nothing of the people of Radiant Garden, how could I possibly rule them?" Kairi asked him. Leon nodded, acceding to that fact. But then an idea came to him.

"We could have you stay and get to know the people before finally taking on your rule as queen." Leon suggested but Kairi shook her head fiercely.

"No…as much as I am a native of Radiant Garden, this isn't my home. 'Home is where the heart is' right? Well, my heart lies on Destiny Islands and with Sora." Kairi said, grasping his hand firmly as he blushed slightly beside her. Leon wanted to laugh a bit but he knew he had to remain impassive for the sake of Sora and partially, his pride. "Besides, the people have been happy with the Restoration Committee cleaning things up and being the rule in the castle so…it should be fine now."

"All right." Leon said, agreeing with her at last and giving into the seventh princess of heart. "I'll keep doing this."

"Thank you. Maybe one day I'll come back and rule but not today." She then turned away with Sora following in suit. She took a tentative step forward but stopped and turned around. "I just want you to do one thing for me."

"What is it, Your Highness?" Leon asked sincerely.

"My brother, Hikaru, I want everybody to know about who he was and…what happened to him…" It was hard for her to say such a thing. Even though she had only barely found out that he was her brother she already had loved him like one. Leon nodded.

"To believe I almost tried to arrest our prince…it's a funny universe we live in." Leon stepped forward. "Will do." Kairi smiled at him and began to walk away but Leon called out to Sora. "Hey Sora, good job on coming back!" Leon said to him, this time with a chuckle behind it.

"You didn't think I'd just leave the worlds like that did you now?!" Sora said with a huge grin on his face. Leon chortled.

"I forgot who I'm dealing with…again." Leon said. Sora laughed loud and boisterously before he took Kairi's hand.

"Come on, Riku and the others are waiting for us." Then the two ran away from the study towards the postern and their friends.

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Mickey was standing in the Great Maw with Donald, Goofy, Merlin, and Cid surveying all of the damage done on the cliffs and, looking forward, the damage to the area around the former Villain's Vale as well as the Castle Gates.

"It will take some time, but I think that between Cid and I we can work out the damage done here today." Merlin told the tiny king. Goofy turned to the two of them.

"So you guys worked out your differences?" Goofy asked.

"We still got kinks in it but the old loon's finally accepted that computers do help, especially when Tron's running everythin' for us." Cid told Goofy.

"How is Tron?" Donald asked.

"Oh he's just fine…seems he's also found a lady computer program in good old Space Paranoids." Cid said with a slight snicker.

"Gawrsh, what's her name?" Goofy asked, intrigued.

"Mercury." Cid answered and said no more.

"Welp, it looks like you fellas got things figured out here, so I'll leave you to it." Mickey said to them cheerfully.

"What are we going to do, Your Majesty?" Donald asked him. Mickey turned to him.

"We're goin' back home. I think we've been gone long enough." Goofy and Donald jumped into the air, happy that they were at last going back home. "But first, I wanna say goodbye to Sora and the others."

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At the castle postern, Gentai was looking out over the town, feeling the air of Radiant Garden on his face. He felt a presence come up to him and turned his head to see Riku. Riku leaned on the low brick wall and looked in the direction that Gentai was also looking. He turned to Gentai.

"We're going back to Destiny Islands in a bit…you coming with us?" Riku asked him. Gentai stood there and felt the wind…he had lost a lot, but had gained something more. He looked away from the horizon and turned his full body towards Riku.

"Is Demora coming with you?" he asked, asking about the girl that he now knew he had fallen in love with. Riku turned his head in the direction of the girl who was sitting next to the massive power conduit by the castle walls. He turned back to Gentai.

"Yeah…it is her home after all." Riku told him, a smirk inching its way onto his face.

"I think I will. It's my fault she got into this, so if anyone should bring her home, it's me." Riku nodded accepting Gentai's decision. He almost laughed to himself. Before the situation with Terra he had felt he couldn't trust Gentai at all but now…he felt like Gentai was truly a strong Keyblade Master. Riku turned to the castle corridors at the sound of approaching footsteps as Sora and Kairi came up.

"We ready to go?" Sora asked. They all nodded and Demora jumped off from where she was sitting. They were going to borrow a Gummi Ship from Cid since their Gummi Ship had been inevitably destroyed when the _Unbirth_ crash landed near Villain's Vale. For that reason, Sora was the one who held the ability to use the Gummi Ship, since other than Gentai, he was really the only one who could fly it. But before he had the chance they heard a yelp and the king came running up behind them. "Your Majesty?"

"We just wanted to see you off before you go." Mickey said and Riku laughed. "I'm sure we'll see each other real soon…but I just wanted to thank all of you for all your hard work."

"Thanks Your Majesty…but, where are you guys going?" Sora asked.

"We're going back home, to Disney Castle, so if you want to see us, we'll be there!" Mickey said jubilantly. Sora nodded and the group going to Destiny Islands positioned themselves. Sora pushed a button and soon they were transported up to their Gummi Ship, ready to go home, or the closest thing to it.

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**Author's Note: Well, there was the end of Chapter 14 which leaves only one chapter left in this insane story…and I'm sure some of you can already guess what will happen in that chapter. But hopefully this cleaned up some loose ends and hopefully you enjoyed it, like the Terra portion I put in at the beginning. Well, look for the little complete sign that will come up in one chapter but until then, Dare to Be Silly.**


	16. Chapter 15: We'll Be the Darkness

**DISCLAIMER: I own nothing to do with this story save for plot lines or OCs and this holds for all of it, so don't ask me again.**

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Chapter 15

We'll Be the Darkness

Space. It was warm again. Once more, its confines among the stars were not cold but shared the same warmth it had when Sora was on his adventures. Gentai knew, it was because Sora was back again…because of the impossible task he had succeeded in. But Gentai took that moment to at last rest. Demora was talking with Kairi and Sora had actually turned control of the ship over to Riku and was now coming back to speak with him. He was just sitting there, nodding off when Sora sat down next to him.

"How are you?" Sora asked cheerily and now Gentai understood why he had so many friends. Gentai just shrugged. "Hey, I never really got to thank you for before so…umm…thanks for helping to bring me back."

"Don't thank me just yet." Gentai said with a chuckle. Sora gave him a confused look. Gentai reached into his over-large pocket and pulled out the box he had taken from Sora's house…was it not even three days ago? He held it out to Sora.

"Where did you get this?" Sora asked him and Gentai smiled.

"Your house, I went in and took a look around and I found this. I thought I'd hold onto it because…I don't know, it almost felt like I knew you were going to come back." Gentai said. He forced the bock in Sora's hands. "I figure you want it back now." Sora nodded, dumbfounded.

"Thanks, Gentai." Sora said. He put the box back into his pocket. Gentai stood up.

"Just so you know, there's no time like the present." Gentai told him but Sora shook his head.

"No, I'm waiting for the opportune moment." Sora told him and Gentai just shrugged, joining Riku on the bridge. Sora grinned to himself and followed him.

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The flight lasted only two hours in transit and before long the group of five was on the twilit beaches of Destiny Islands. Kairi immediately ambled down to the waterside and stared out at the ocean. She had missed it so much despite only being gone for a few days. Sora watched her go but was a little nervous about what he was planning to do and so he stayed behind a little bit and talked with Riku. Gentai, meanwhile, took Demora to her home…or her parent's house, despite the fact they were gone. Demora invited him inside and she sat down. He remained standing however. There was a taut silence between them.

"Why do I get the feeling you're leaving?" Demora asked him and Gentai nodded.

"Yeah…I don't know where I'll go. Maybe I'll go back home and check on my parents, or maybe I'll just visit other worlds…who knows?" Gentai said and Demora nodded. "But no matter where I go, I'll always come back again. Our hearts are connected, right? Which means I'll always come back." Demora smiled. Maybe that was why she liked him, he wasn't always cheerful, but he wasn't always sad.

"I know…no matter where you go; your heart will lead you back to me. So keep on fighting, we'll see each other again someday." Demora said. That was all that needed to be said. Gentai turned away and began to walk out of the house. He stopped.

"You'll take care of them right?"

"I don't think they need taking care of but…yeah."

"Right." He took another step forward. Then he remembered something from Sora's memories that seemed to stick with him and he turned back to Demora.

"Demora." he said simply and she looked up at him.

"Yes, Gentai?"

"Remember what I said, what you said, we're always with each other…I'll come back to you, I promise, if you wait for me." Gentai said with conviction and she smiled.

"I know you will. That's why I'll wait for you." And with that Gentai left the house to join the others on the beach.

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Sora was staring at Kairi for a few moments after he had finished talking with Riku who was now leaning against the stone wall on the beach. He braced himself by taking a deep breath before walking forward and up to Kairi.

"Hey Kairi." Sora said to her. She turned to him silently, and smiled. Sora looked out over the ocean. "It's beautiful…just like you Kairi." Kairi giggled a little. he turned to her. "You know, when I was dead Kairi, I still had thoughts there…cause I guess I wasn't really dead, but anyway, my thoughts only centered around you."

"I really missed you Sora." Kairi said, brushing aside his own comment. "I wanted to see you again so badly, wanted to feel your hand, to her your voice, to see your grin."

"Well, I'm here now, so you can do that now!" Kairi giggled even harder than the last time. Sora reached into his pockets and pulled out the box. "In fact, I was hoping you could do that forever…if you'll have me." Kairi shot a look at the box and was surprised at what she found. She looked up at Sora's face which had a huge grin and yet was still serious. "Will you marry me Kairi?" She almost wanted to break down and cry. All she could do was nod and then run up to him and start kissing him like she never had before. And she kissed back.

Riku was watching the whole time and he smirked at this last occurrence before he heard Gentai come up next to him.

"They look perfect together don't they?" Gentai said with a smile.

"Yeah…to believe I was so selfish to think it should have been me standing there when it was Sora that Kairi's heart had chosen all along." Riku chuckled a bit before he turned to Gentai. "No Demora?"

"She'll be waiting for me when I come back." Gentai said, shrugging.

"And where might you be going?" Riku asked him, wondering as to the logic behind this.

"This war isn't over. Maleficent's still out there and I'm not coming home till this battle is." Riku nodded at the statement and there was silence as the two lovebirds on the beach remained in their embrace and the waves crashed around them. "You wanna join me?"

"Huh?" Riku asked in surprise.

"We can keep the islands and the worlds safe. I'll need some help. And besides…" He looked towards Sora and Kairi. "I think they deserve to live a peaceful life without fighting for now."

"So why us then?" Riku asked.

"Because this task is handed down to us like a lineage, like a dynasty. And also…you and I both have done dark things. You had given into the darkness and I had killed my best friend. We both have darkness inside of us and that's what we'll be fore the worlds. Defenders of light, darkness, and twilight." Gentai faces Riku staunchly. "Because we can be the outcasts. We can make the choices no one else can make and end this war."

"You've got conviction." Riku said jokingly.

"Whatever." Gentai said shrugging his shoulders. "I'm going whether you want to or not but…it'd be better for both of us I think." Riku didn't answer as Gentai summoned his Keyblade and created the portal of light to another world. "You coming?" Riku looked at Gentai and then at his two best friends on the beach.

"Yeah." Riku said and he took a step towards the portal. "See ya later." He said quietly to Sora and Kairi before following Gentai through the portal which closed behind them in a burst of light. Sora and Kairi broke apart as they realized their best friend had left.

"Riku…" Kairi whispered. "Do you think we'll see him again?"

"Of course! Because we're all connected…one day he'll pass on his legacy further in the lineage and come back home. And we'll be here when he does." Sora said and took Kairi's hand that now held their engagement ring and they began to walk on the beach, enjoying their time while Gentai and Riku kept evil at bay.

THE END

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**Author's Note: Ta-da! It is finished and I hope you liked the ending despite the last two chapters were short. In any case…go push that review button at the bottom of the page and give this chapter or now completed story a review…and tell me whether you want to see what happens after or before this story. Hopefully ou will want to see more, but if not then just remember, for now and forever, Dare to Be Silly.**


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